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Abstract
Traditional lore suggests that anxiety disorders are less prevalent in elderly than
in younger adults, and late-onset anxiety disorders are especially rare. We question
these assumptions, and suggest that these conditions are underdiagnosed in late life.
A common problem in the literature is the application of DSM-IV-like criteria developed
from studies of younger adults to geriatric samples without regard for atypical symptom
presentations, high occurrence of depressive and medical co-morbidity, and influence
of aging-related psychosocial changes on the clinical picture. Diagnostic problems
are further compounded by therapeutic ones. Clinicians are often forced to make treatment
decisions for their elderly patients based on uncontrolled clinical observations or
questionable extrapolation of treatment data in younger adults. An open-minded approach
unhinged by 'conventional wisdom' is warranted.