ADAA 30th Annual Conference * March 4-7, 2010 * Baltimore Marriott Waterfront

ABOUT THE ADAA ANNUAL CONFERENCE, continued

STATEMENT OF NEED
Anxiety disorders are common and crippling. They are highly comorbid with depression, substance use, and other mental disorders. Additionally, individuals with anxiety disorders report many somatic symptoms, which often results in treatment of these symptoms rather than the anxiety disorder. The lifetime incidence of the category of anxiety disorders is 28.8% among 9,282 participants in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Lifetime prevalence rates are 4.7% for panic disorder, 12.5% for specific phobias, 12.1% for social anxiety disorder, 5.7% for GAD, 6.8% for PTSD, and 1.6 % for OCD. Data from the same survey found that the 12-month prevalence of anxiety disorders is nearly twice that of mood disorders. Women are at a greater risk for an anxiety disorder than men. Although most patients do not seek treatment until adulthood, more than 75% experience their first symptoms before age 22, with 11 as the average age for the onset, making these highly prevalent disorders of childhood and adolescence. And recent research has shown that these disorders have a familial component, which is likely mediated by genetic factors.

While the high prevalence of anxiety disorders and their disabling nature over a lifetime should be a great enough reason to support collaborative research efforts and broadly disseminate research, there is an increasing interest in the role anxiety disorders play in predicting future illnesses and in developing preemptive and personalized interventions. Recent data suggest that a preexisting anxiety disorder is an independent risk factor for subsequent onset of suicidal ideation and attempts, especially among those ages 16 to 25. Moreover, the data clearly demonstrate that comorbid anxiety disorders amplify the risk of suicide attempts in those with mood disorders.

Evidence-based treatments are available, but fewer than one-third of those diagnosed with an anxiety disorder report receiving treatment. Many barriers present obstacles to treatment, including the lack of available training in evidence-based treatment—especially cognitive-behavioral therapy.

OBJECTIVES
ADAA has five objectives for the Annual Conference:

• Provide a forum for dissemination and discussion of neurobiological, pathophysiological, and behavioral research to foster the traction needed for robust scientific advances on anxiety and anxiety-related disorders.
• Disseminate the latest research on evidence-based treatments and increase their use to improve outcomes, increase quality of life and productivity, and decrease suicide.
• Encourage innovative and collaborative approaches to research about anxiety and anxiety-related disorders to identify early interventions and personalized approaches, especially for those in underrepresented populations including children, older adults, military, and minorities, and those with comorbid, chronic medical illnesses.
• Engage early career scientists, students, and trainees to learn about research and evidence-based treatments to cultivate interest in new research and to close the gap between the development of new interventions and their use by clinicians.
• Inform the public about new scientific evidence and empirically tested treatments.