Medication is currently the most effective and most common form of treatment of anxiety disorders. Minor tranquilizers known as benzodiazepines, such as diazepam (Valium) and alprazolam (Xanax), are the most common forms of biological intervention used in conjunction with psychological intervention. Benzodiazepines show an affinity for receptor sites normally associated with the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The benzodiazepines, which are subdivided into two types based on their rate of absorption and elimination from the body, inhibit the activity of the GABA neurons. Side effects of benzodiazepines include sedation, followed by mild cognitive and psychomotor impairments. The most serious side effect of this class of drugs is the threat of addiction. Tricyclic antidepressants, such as imipramine (Trofanil) and Clomipramine (Anafranil), are another class of drugs that have proven effective in treating anxiety disorders, especially OCD. These anti-depressants have severely aversive side effects such as dry mouth, weight gain, and, ironically, symptoms resembling those of a panic attack, such as heart palpitations, which leads some individuals to stop using them. Yet the chances of the individual becoming dependent on them are lower those associated with becoming addicted to benzodiazepines. And again, similar to depression, SSRI's, such as fluvoxamine (LuVox) and fluoxetine (Prozac) have been shown to be effective in treating anxiety disorders. With all of these drugs, relapse rates significantly increase if their use is discontinued. The most effective drugs for treating panic disorder are imipramine (Trofranil) and alprazolam (Xanax). The most effective treatment for agoraphobia is imipramine (Trofanil) and individuals with generalized anxiety disorder respond best to alprazolam (Xanax) or diazepam (Valium). Propranolol (Inderal) is used to treat social phobias, whilst clomipramine (Anafranil) and fluoxetine (Prozac) are effective forms of treatment for OCD.

There are six main types of non-pharmacological interventions in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Firstly, exposure- response prevention consists of exposure to the anxiety-causing object or circumstance without allowing an avoidant or compulsive response. This helps to break the pattern of negative reinforcement of anxiety responses. Exposure habituation procedures are intended not only to break the negative reinforcement paradigm, but they also allow the fight/flight response to pass. In this type of intervention, individuals are exposed to the anxiety-inducing stimuli, but then they allow the anxiety to pass and to let the body return to a normal, calmer state. In systematic desensitization, an inconsistent response, such as muscle relaxation, is paired with exposure to the feared stimuli in progressively challenging steps. This also breaks the negative reinforcement pattern and decreases the fight/flight response. Instead of being progressively introduced to more frightening stimuli, some individuals undergo a technique known as flooding, which involves beginning with exposure to the most feared stimuli. Cognitive therapy, which involves cognitive restructuring, focuses on making the individual aware of the maladaptive associations between behavior and thought. It teaches patients to reinterpret the anxiety symptoms as non-catastrophic. Since it decreases the misinterpretation of the bodily reactions, this form of therapy also decreases the physical levels of arousal. Modeling mastery is a technique wherein an approach to the anxiety-inducing stimuli without anxiety is presented. For instance, if a therapist were dealing with a patient who is afraid of spiders, the therapist would put a spider on his or her arm to show the patient that it is no big deal. This is considered a form of exposure-by-proxy that breaks the negative reinforcement of anxiety responses by showing that nothing bad is prevented by anxiety responses.

Finally, modeling coping is a procedure similar to modeling mastery, except with the added dimension of coping mechanisms. This is a much more realistic and effective form of treatment than modeling mastery since it acquiesces that although the individual may experience some difficulties, he or she does have the ability to perform the act. Cognitive therapy is the most effective non- pharmacological treatment for panic disorder and agoraphobia. Individuals with agoraphobia, like people suffering from specific phobias, also benefit from exposure-in-vivo techniques, such as flooding. Generalized anxiety disorder responds best to cognitive therapy and applied relaxation techniques, while social phobias are best treated by a combination of cognitive therapy and social skills training. Lastly, exposure plus response prevention has been the most effective non-pharmacological treatment for OCD. Again, all of these forms of therapy work best in conjunction with medication.