If you are in an emergency, in crisis or need someone to talk to, there is help.

View Crisis Resouces
Skip to content
  • Contact Us
  • No One Left Behind
  • Join our team
  • Referral Form
  • Virtual Urgent Care
  • Accessibility
CAMH logo
  • Patients and Families
    • Main Page
    • Access CAMH & Referral Form
      • Access CAMH

        Centralized information, intake and scheduling. Access CAMH makes it easy to find support – simply call 416-535-8501, option 2.

      • Referral Form

        For mental health services, a referral form needs to be completed by a healthcare provider. For addictions services, patient can self-refer.

    • Programs & Services
      • Addictions/Substance Use
      • Alzheimer’s & Dementia
      • Anxiety & Depression
      • Concurrent Disorders
      • Developmental Disabilities
      • Mood & Personality Disorders
      • Problem Gambling
      • Schizophrenia & Psychosis
      • Trauma & Stress Disorders
      • Virtual Mental Health and Outreach
      • Other
    • Information for Patients
      • Patient Wellness and Patient Engagement at CAMH
      • What to expect
      • Your Rights
      • Patient and Family Feedback
      • Visiting CAMH

        Planning on visiting CAMH? Find contact information, directions and accessibility for each of our three main sites.

    • Information for Families
      • Family Resource Centre
      • Patient and Family Feedback
      • Visiting CAMH

        Planning on visiting CAMH? Find contact information, directions and accessibility for each of our three main sites.

    • Patient and Family Engagement
      • Patient and Family Partners Program
      • Information and resources
      • Get Involved in Research
      • Volunteer at CAMH
    • Visiting CAMH
      • Visiting CAMH

        Planning on visiting CAMH? Find contact information, directions and accessibility for each of our three main sites.

        Read More
    • MyCAMH
  • Health Info
    • Main Page
    • Mental Illness & Addiction Index
      • Conditions & Disorders
      • Medication Therapies
      • Substance Use
      • Types of Treatment
      • Information in Other Languages
    • Mental Health 101
      • Mental Health 101

        Use this series of free online tutorials as the starting point to learn about and understand a wide range of mental health topics.

        Read More
    • Guides & Publications
      • Guides & Publications

        Accessible, reliable, professionally produced resources on an array of mental health topics for patients, families, students and professionals.

        Read More
    • Crisis Resources
      • Crisis Resources

        If you are in an emergency, in crisis or need someone to talk to, there is a list of resources available for areas in and around Toronto.

        Read More
    • CAMH Store
      • CAMH Store

        The CAMH Store offers a wide array of mental illness and addiction resources for patients, families, students and professionals. Search or browse our catalogue of brochures and booklets, textbooks, manuals and assessment tools.

        Read More
    • CAMH Library
      • CAMH Library

        Open to professionals and the general public, our comprehensive resources and services support and enhance CAMH's research and clinical programs, and they facilitate learning, dynamic knowledge exchange and health promotion initiatives.

        Read More
    • Workplace Mental Health Playbook
    • Mental Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic
      • Coping with stress & anxiety
      • Quarantine & isolation
      • Stigma and prejudice
      • Loss, grief and healing
      • Resources for Health Care Workers
  • Education
    • Main Page
    • Continuing Education Programs and Courses
      • Find the Course That's Right for You

        Browse our entire selection of certificate programs, webinars and workshops.

      • Workplace Education and Consulting Services

        View our full list of workplace mental health workshops and consulting services

    • Collaborative Learning College
    • Simulation Centre
    • TIDES
    • Student Centre
    • Clinical & Research Opportunities for Professionals in Training
      • Clinical Psychology Training Programs
      • Community-Based Research Fellowship
      • Graduate & Post-Doctoral Fellowships in Public Health Policy
      • Clinical & Research Opportunities for Professionals in Training

        Study in a world-class setting to become a leader in the field of mental health.

    • Research in Education
      • Academic & Education Research Excellence
      • Health Equity and Inclusion Framework for Education and Training
    • Evaluation
    • Workplace Mental Health Workshops and Consulting
    • CAMH Education Contacts
  • Professionals
    • Main Page
    • Treating Conditions & Disorders
      • NAVIGATE - Treating Psychosis in Youth
      • CARIBOU - Treating depression in youth
      • Virtual Mental Health
      • Alcohol Use
      • Anxiety Disorders
      • Dementia
      • Depression
      • Suicide Risk
      • Fundamentals of Addiction
      • Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
      • Mania
      • OCD
      • Opioid use and opioid use disorder
      • Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders
      • Personality Disorders
      • Psychosis
      • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
      • Smoking Cessation
    • Professionals Projects
      • Climate Change and Mental Health
      • Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities
      • Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project
      • Opioid Use in Primary Care Conference 2024
    • Networks
      • Psychiatry Partnerships with Northern Communities
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
  • Get Involved
    • Main Page
    • Ways to Donate
      • Give Monthly
      • Give In Memory or In Honour
      • Start a Fundraiser
      • Gifts of Celebration
      • Leave a Gift in Your Will
      • Employee Giving
      • Donate Goods & Services
      • Gifts of Securities
      • Canvassers & Callers
      • Make a one-time donation

        With your support, CAMH researchers are revolutionizing the ways we diagnose, treat, and prevent mental illness. Donate today.

    • Join the Cause
      • Corporate Partnerships
      • Business Leaders for Mental Health
      • CAMH Engage
      • womenmind
      • Visionary Society
      • Michael Wilson Society
      • Volunteer at CAMH
    • Making a Real Impact
      • Making a Real Impact

        Real stories of courage, hope and discovery. Made possible through your continued support of CAMH.

        Read More
  • Driving Change
    • Main Page
    • About CAMH
      • Leadership Team Directory
      • Performance & Accountability
      • The Role of CAMH Foundation
      • For Reporters
      • Events Calendar
      • For Our Neighbours
      • Contact CAMH
      • Careers at CAMH

        By working at CAMH, you can help people affected by mental illness and support their recovery. Join the team. Everyone who works at CAMH becomes an advocate for mental health.

    • The Crisis is Real
      • The Crisis is Real

        We are in the grips of a crisis that ruins health, threatens lives and hurts economies. Knowing the facts is the first step in creating hope.

      • Mental Health Statistics

        The latest facts and statistics on mental illness and addiction, who's affected and their impact on Canadians.

    • Addressing Stigma
      • Addressing Stigma

        Challenging the stigma associated with mental illness takes understanding, education and a closer look at our own attitudes toward health.

        Read More
    • The Mental Health Facility of the Future
      • The Mental Health Facility of the Future

        Turning what was once a walled institution into a symbol of hope for the future of mental health care.

      • Vision & Guiding Principles

        How do you replace an institution with an urban village? Lots of planning, imagination and a long-term commitment to serving patients, staff and the community.

      • History of Queen Street Site

        Our history—evolving from an asylum into a modern health facility with patients at the centre of care—is the history of mental health care in Canada.

    • Influencing Public Policy
      • Influencing Public Policy

        CAMH advocates for policies that are responsive to the needs of people with mental illness and addictions.

        Read More
    • Health Equity
      • Health Equity

        CAMH believes in the principle of equity. We respect the diversity of the individuals and communities we serve.

        Read More
    • Shkaabe Makwa
    • CAMH News & Stories
    • Strategic Plan
    • Contact Us
    • No One Left Behind
    • Join our team
    • Referral Form
    • Virtual Urgent Care
    • Accessibility
Conditions & Disorders
Anxiety Disorders

CAMH Logo
  • Anxiety Disorders
Back to top
  • Home
  • Professionals
  • Treating Conditions & Disorders
  • Anxiety Disorders
CAMH logo
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Screening & Assessment
  • Diagnosis
  • Treatment
  • Clinical Tools
Back to top

Text adapted from: "The adult patient with an anxiety disorder," in Psychiatry in primary care   by Alina R. Brotea and Richard Swinson (CAMH, 2019).

The Primary Care Practitioner Role

Anxiety symptoms are extremely common. In the primary care setting, a major task is to determine whether the symptoms are a reaction to a distressing situation, indications of an anxiety or other psychiatric disorder such as depression, or signs of a non-psychiatric condition.

 

What Is Reasonable to Expect of a Primary Care Practitioner?

  • Screen for and establish the specific anxiety disorder diagnosis.
  • Develop a treatment plan.
  • Be familiar with antidepressants and anxiolytics, as well as psychotropic agents used mainly to augment antidepressants (e.g., antipsychotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers).
  • Provide psychoeducation and help patients make an informed treatment choice about medications and psychotherapy.
  • Discuss self-help options with patients and support them in using these resources.
  • Monitor the patient’s response to treatment

When to Refer to a Specialist

  • Following an attempt to treat the patient or earlier if the patient is severely affected by the anxiety disorder
  • When an anxious young adult is too fearful to attend school or socialize
  • When a patient cannot get to work or maintain usual activities of daily living (e.g., child care, going shopping, hygiene)
  • When a patient has multiple comorbid mental disorders (e.g., depression, substance use, suicidality)
  • When a patient is being prescribed multiple psychiatric medications
  • When a patient is using recreational substances, or over-the-counter medications to alleviate anxiety

In Anxiety
  • The Primary Care Practitioner Role
  • Screening & Assessment
  • Diagnosis
  • Treatment
    • Pharmacotherapy
    • Psychotherapy
  • Clinical Tools
  • Resources & References
You may also be interested in:

Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders 

Ontario youth experiencing increasing levels of psychological distress and inability to cope - OSDUS reveals, one-in-six students report serious thoughts of suicide in the past year

Quick Guide to the Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS)

Anxiety in Older Adults

 

Clinical Resources:

Mood & Anxiety Service for Children & Youth - offering assessment and treatment for children and youth aged 6–18 years old (and their parents/caregivers) who are experiencing mood and/or anxiety difficulties. 

Late Life Anxiety and Mood Disorder Clinic

 

Resources for patients and families:

Anxiety Disorders: An Information guide

Social Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety Disorder  - Mental health 101s for anxiety

Screening

Follow us
  • Patient and Family Care
  • Health Info
  • Science and Research
  • Education
  • Professionals
  • Get Involved
  • Driving Change
  • About CAMH
  • Job Openings
  • Purchase Publications
  • Referral Form
  • For Reporters
  • Donor Services
  • Events

CAMH Switchboard

From the GTA: 416 535-8501


Toll-free: 1 800 463-2338

To Access CAMH Clinical Services

416 535-8501, press 2

We have multiple locations. Find directions.

Map of CAMH's Queen Street Site
  • Staff Tools

Copyright 2025 CAMH

  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Site Map

Keep in touch with CAMH

Keep your finger on our pulse – latest CAMH news, discoveries and ways to get involved delivered to your inbox.

Please select a newsletter

Please complete the following:

    Required Fields

    Please select a newsletter option

    Please input a first name

    Please input a last name

    Please input an email address

    By clicking Sign Up below, I consent to receive electronic communications (as selected above) from CAMH and CAMH Foundation. To unsubscribe at any time click the link in our mailing or email: unsubscribe@camh.ca

    Please agree to the Terms of Use

     

    Thanks for Subscribing.

    We look forward to keeping you informed, inspired and involved in all things CAMH.

    Help us change mental health care forever.

    Every donation moves us closer to a future where no one is left behind.

    $
    Other Ways to Give