anxiety disorders

Overview

Anxiety disorders are a group of common psychiatric conditions characterized by excessive fear, worry, and related behavioral or physiological symptoms that are persistent, distressing, and functionally impairing. Clinically, they include several diagnostic subtypes, but they share core features such as heightened threat sensitivity, autonomic arousal, avoidance behavior, and difficulty regulating anxious responses. They are important contributors to global disability and frequently co-occur with depression, sleep disturbance, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and chronic medical illness.

Biologically and medically, anxiety disorders are studied as complex, multifactorial conditions influenced by neurobiological signaling, stress-response pathways, psychological resilience, and environmental exposures. In recent research, they have been examined both as primary psychiatric outcomes and as comorbid conditions in cancer, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and pediatric illness. They are also increasingly evaluated in relation to supportive care interventions, digital mental health tools, and predictive modeling from structured electronic health records.

Focus of Latest Publications

Recent publications have examined anxiety disorders across a wide range of clinical settings, often alongside depression, insomnia, disability, or other comorbid symptoms. Several studies focused on interventions or supportive approaches intended to reduce anxiety symptoms, including non-pharmacological strategies in Parkinson’s disease, internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy in adults with multiple sclerosis, and laughter yoga in children with autism spectrum disorder and their parents. Other work assessed anxiety in relation to somatic complaints in tinnitus patients, social support and psychological resilience in colorectal cancer, and preoperative mental health in frozen shoulder patients undergoing manipulation under anesthesia.

Interventional studies reported promising symptom reductions in some settings. In a randomized controlled trial of virtual reality glasses used during inhaler treatment in children, the intervention group showed significantly lower post-treatment anxiety and fear scores than controls. A randomized controlled trial of internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy in adults with multiple sclerosis evaluated effects on depression, anxiety, and disability, while the Parkinson’s disease publication was a protocol for a Cochrane Review designed to compare the efficacy and safety of non-pharmacological interventions for reducing anxiety and depression symptoms. The laughter yoga study was also a feasibility protocol, aiming to assess recruitment, adherence, acceptability, safety, and potential effects on anxiety and depression in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Other studies primarily explored associations and risk patterns rather than treatment effects. A cross-sectional study in colorectal cancer patients examined how multidimensional social support relates to anxiety and depression, with psychological resilience as a mediator. A retrospective case-control study used structured electronic health records and area-based health measures to compare machine learning and deep learning models for classifying pediatric patients at risk for anxiety disorders, aiming to support proactive monitoring across developmental stages. In cancer populations, a nationwide study estimated the incidence of anxiety disorder after diagnosis across five major cancer types and characterized psychotropic pharmacotherapy patterns. Additional work in tinnitus patients investigated links between somatic complaints and symptoms of anxiety and depression, highlighting the relevance of anxiety assessment in broader rehabilitation and symptom evaluation.

Key Publications

NEWJul Tinnitus, hyperacusis and somatic complaints in a diverse Norwegian clinical population: implications for assessment and rehabilitation. (Annals of medicine, 2026, PMID 42402048): "This study aims to characterize tinnitus patients with somatic complaints, investigate associations between somatic complaints and tinnitus, hyperacusis, and symptoms of anxiety and depression, and to compare patient profiles across genders and healthcare services."
NEWJul Effects of Insomnia, Anxiety and Depression on Clinical Outcomes of Frozen Shoulder After Manipulation Under Anesthesia. (Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy, 2026, PMID 42339703): "The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of preoperative anxiety, depression, and insomnia on postoperative recovery in patients undergoing manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) for frozen shoulder."
NEWJun Non-pharmacological interventions for anxiety and depression in Parkinson's disease. (The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2026, PMID 42339755): "To evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of non-pharmacological interventions for reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression in individuals with Parkinson's disease."
NEWJun Effects of laughter yoga on reducing depression and anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder and parenting stress in their parents: study protocol for a randomised-controlled feasibility trial. (BMJ open, 2026, PMID 42303395): "Moreover, it investigates the safety issues and the effects of laughter yoga on reducing depression and anxiety in children with ASD, as well as parenting stress in their parents."
May The Impact of Social Support on Anxiety and Depression in Colorectal Cancer Patients: The Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience. (Journal of gastrointestinal cancer, 2026, PMID 42154392): "This cross-sectional study examines the effects of multidimensional social support on anxiety and depression symptoms in colorectal cancer patients, with particular focus on the mediating role of psychological resilience in this association."
May The effect of virtual reality glasses used during inhaler treatment on anxiety, fear and vital signs in children: a randomized controlled trial. (European journal of pediatrics, 2026, PMID 42151606): "Participants were assigned to groups using a lottery method based on simple randomization."
May Comparing machine and deep learning models for pediatric anxiety classification using structured EHRs and area-based measures of health data. (PloS one, 2026, PMID 42118733): "This retrospective, case-control study with internal validation evaluates the performance of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) models in classifying pediatric patients at risk for anxiety disorders using structured electronic health records (EHRs) and area-based measures of health (ABMH)."
Jun A randomised controlled trial of internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy targeting symptoms of depression, anxiety and disability in adults with multiple sclerosis. (Journal of affective disorders, 2026, PMID 41702459): "Assessed the efficacy of a transdiagnostic internet-delivered psychological intervention for depression, anxiety and disability in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS)."
May Affective morbidity after cancer diagnosis: Nationwide incidence and pharmacotherapy patterns across five major cancer types. (Journal of affective disorders, 2026, PMID 41619608): "We estimated the post-diagnosis incidence of depression, anxiety disorder, and adjustment disorder in five common cancers."