Monotherapy with quetiapine seems to be efficacious in reducing symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder and this effect may be similar to that of antidepressants .
BACKGROUND Anxiety disorders are common and disabling conditions , with a lifetime prevalence of 17 % in the general population .
Due to high rates of treatment resistance , there is interest in new pharmacological treatment options such as second-generation antipsychotics .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of second-generation antipsychotics as monotherapy or adjunctive treatment for people with anxiety disorders .
Efficacy of olanzapine in social anxiety disorder: a pilot study
Based on evidence suggesting anxiolytic properties of the atypical antipsychotic olanzapine , this study was conducted to evaluate whether olanzapine may be efficacious in treating  social anxiety disorder ( SAD ) . This study was an 8-week , double-blind , placebo-controlled evaluation of olanzapine as monotherapy in which 12 patients with the DSM-IV diagnosis of SAD were r and omized to either olanzapine ( n= 7 ) or placebo ( n= 5 ) . An initial dose of 5 mg/day was titrated to a maximum of 20 mg/day . Baseline to endpoint scores from the Brief Social Phobia Scale ( BSPS ) , Social Phobia Inventory ( SPIN ) , Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and Sheehan Disability Scale , as well as Clinical Global Impression-Improvement ratings , were compared for olanzapine versus placebo .  Seven subjects completed all 8 weeks of the study , four in the olanzapine group and three in the placebo group . In the intent-to-treat analysis , olanzapine yielded greater improvement than placebo on the primary measures : BSPS ( p= 0.02 ) and SPIN ( p= 0.01 ) . Both treatments were well tolerated , although the olanzapine group had more drowsiness and dry mouth .  Olanzapine and placebo were both associated with negligible weight gain .  Olanzapine was superior to placebo on the primary outcome measures in this preliminary study of SAD . Additional studies of olanzapine as a treatment for SAD are warranted
Monotherapy with quetiapine seems to be efficacious in reducing symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder and this effect may be similar to that of antidepressants .
BACKGROUND Anxiety disorders are common and disabling conditions , with a lifetime prevalence of 17 % in the general population .
Due to high rates of treatment resistance , there is interest in new pharmacological treatment options such as second-generation antipsychotics .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of second-generation antipsychotics as monotherapy or adjunctive treatment for people with anxiety disorders .