Treating Anxiety and Mood Disorders with Oleamide

Treating Anxiety and Mood Disorders with Oleamide 

The mood and anxiety disorders in their various permutations constitute a major source of personal suffering and impaired ability to engage in productive Avork and interpersonal relationships. Between 5 and 9% of women and between 2 and 3% of men meet the diagnostic criteria for major depression at any time 10-25% of all women suffer major depression sometime in their lives, while 5-10% of men will develop major depressive disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). The anxiety disorders obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) show lifetime prevalence rates of approximately 2.5%, 7%, 2.5%, and 5% respectively. Between 3 and 13% of individuals in community samples are regarded to meet the diagnostic criteria for social phobia. Mood and anxiety disorders are common comorbidities (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) and the most common antidepressant medications including the serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the mixed serotonin-catecholamine reuptake inhibitors, the tricyclic antidepressants, and the monoamine oxidase inhibitors, are all effective treatments for anxiety and panic attacks. 

Mood disorders are commonly seen in general medical practice and some general medical disorders resemble depression in important respects. In particular, both fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are medical disorders that have clinical and pathophysiologic features in common with atypical depression. 

Mood and anxiety disorders very frequently coexist in the same individual. In this regard, it is now appreciated that almost all antidepressants improve anxiety symptoms. Conversely, the most popular anxiolytics, the benzodiazepines, improve mood acutely but are typically ineffective or harmful to mood during chronic use. 

The current psychopharmacologic treatments of affective and anxiety disorders are limited. A significant portion of depressed patients are resistant to treatment with existing antidepressants or combinations thereof either because of non-responsiveness or because a positive effect wears off (breakthrough depression) or is inadequate (depression 

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Geracioti, Jr., T.D, and Kasckow, J.W. Methods of Treating Anxiety and Mood Disorders with Oleamide 2002 US 6,359,010... 

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