Effect of antianxiety drugs on fear and stress

Abstract

This paper, on the use of antianxiety drugs to relieve certain neurotic symptoms, involves decision making at the level of the individual organism. The words “anxiety,” “fear,” and “stress” are often used interchangeably in everyday English. In medical usage “anxiety” denotes a state caused by an internal danger, while “fear” is a response to an external danger. “Stress” is the sum total of the bodily responses which occur when the organism has to adapt to a change. The antianxiety tranquilizers relieve anxiety and certain other neurotic symptoms, but do not counteract stress, fear, or anxiety caused by schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. The antianxiety drugs are now being most frequently prescribed for the relief and prevention of emotional distress that might accompany a physical disorder. Somatic illness can cause stress and fear, but does not usually induce neurotic anxiety. In patients suffering from physical disorders, treatment with antianxiety drugs appears justified only in the presence of an underlying psychoneurotic condition.