The main objective of this guide is to orient healthcare professionals in the area of Primary Care (PC), on one hand in the recognition of anxiety disorders in adult patients, and on the other, in the selection of recommendations based on the available scientific evidence on therapeutic actions for treating adult patients with anxiety disorders that are treatable from the point of view of Primary Care, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and panic disorder (PD), with or without agoraphobia. This objective involves an improvement in the quality of the care in the treatment of this process, to consequently improve the quality of life of these patients.

The guide is therefore aimed at healthcare professionals involved in treatment patients with anxiety disorders and who work in the area of Primary Care (doctors, nursing staff, social workers) and is also aimed at patients who suffer these anxiety disorders and who turn to primary care. For the latter, it is a tool that allows them to know the possible strategies and therapies for their illnesses, so that they can avoid treatments that are not supported by scientific evidence.

The guide presents different therapeutic alternatives (pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment) that can be used in Primary Care depending on the available resources. In fact, the resources that are currently available were taken into consideration before the final preparation of the recommendations.

This guide does not directly cover recommendations for anxiety disorders other than generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder in adults. Since this guide is focused nationally, it does not cover organizational questions, but rather tries to establish a basic circuit for patients between the two levels of healthcare – Primary Care and Specialized Care – so it will also be distributed among the other professionals involved in providing patient care in an effort to provide integrated care of patients.