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Anxiety Disorders

Reseach & Resources

The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre (ROMHC) offers specialized mental health services to persons living with anxiety disorders.  

Research Today for a Brighter Tomorrow

Research is essential for the advancement of medicine. The ROMHC's University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR) is a leading center of excellence in mental health research.

The Stress and Anxiety Clinical Research Unit (SACRU) is a specialized unit affiliated with the IMHR/ROMHC that is dedicated to research on the causes and treatment of anxiety disorders. The research we do depends on volunteers. Your participation may not only help your anxiety problem but also help other people with similar problems around the world.  We hope you will come to feel like an important member or our research team.

Patients may be asked to participate in a research project by their psychiatrist or other members of the Anxiety Disorders Program. With the patient's consent, they may be approached by research staff to provide them with information about participating in a study. Patients can also refer themselves to the research unit or be directly referred by their family doctor or other mental health professionals.

Types of Research Conducted at the Stress and Anxiety Clinical Research Unit 

  • Medication treatment studies of anxiety disorders
  • Psychological treatment studies of anxiety disorders
  • Alternative treatment studies for anxiety disorders
  • Genetic studies of anxiety disorders
  • Biological studies of anxiety disorders
  • Studies of persons-at-risk for anxiety disorders

Please note that all research studies have been approved by the ROMHC Research Ethics Board.

What are Anxiety Disorders?
Anxiety disorders are prevalent, serious and persistent health problems affecting behaviour, thoughts, feelings and physical sensations.  The main characteristics may include excessive anxiety, fear, worry, panic attacks, avoidance, obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions.

Anxiety disorders are not a sign of weakness.  The symptoms of an anxiety disorder are more than 'stress' that everyone experiences from time to time.  Anxiety disorders are very real illnesses that may affect up to one in three people at some point in their lives. People of all social, economic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds can experience them.

Anxiety disorders include: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder with or without Agoraphobia, Social Phobia, Specific Phobia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Crisis Services for People with Anxiety Disorders
A crisis intervention service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  The Mental Health Crisis Service can be reached at 613.722.6914 or 1.866.996.0991.

Psychiatric Emergency Services at The Ottawa Hospital can be reached at 613.722.7000.