Psychiatric News (5/27) reports a systemic review and meta-analysis found that “antidepressants may be the preferred choice to treat anxiety in older adults,” and that “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may produce more pronounced symptom improvements than serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), though both types have similar chances of producing anxiety remission.” Researchers analyzed “19 randomized clinical trials assessing anxiety medications in adults ages 60 and older.” They observed that “antidepressants as a group were superior to placebo or waitlist control at reducing anxiety symptoms.” They found that 40% of patients taking antidepressants achieved a response “or anxiety remission compared with 24% of those on placebo or waitlist. SSRIs produced greater anxiety symptom improvements over control groups compared with SNRIs, though both classes showed similar rates of response and remission.” The review was published in The Lancet Psychiatry. (SOURCE: APA Headlines)