Encephale
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Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and disabling disorders, for which selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants are an effective treatment. Escitalopram is the most selective SSRI available. Beyond its well-established efficacy in depression with or without anxiety, preclinical studies have demonstrated that escitalopram has a broad spectrum of anxiolytic activity. ⋯ On the whole, numerous clinical data indicate that escitalopram, 10-20 mg/d, is an effective and well-tolerated first-line treatment option for the management of panic disorder, GAD, social anxiety and OCD. Beyond short-term demonstrations of efficacy in these disorders, several controlled relapse-prevention studies showed the necessity and utility of maintaining the treatment six months or more after the remission has been obtained.