Linking professional and self-help resources for anxiety management: a community project.

The first two years of an anxiety management project involving close liaison between general practitioners, clinical psychologists and a self-help group is described. The apparent benefits of this programme to clients in terms of prompt delivery of service and symptom and medication reduction are discussed. In the light of this a model that combines the benefits of the self-help movement with an appropriate level of professional support is advocated as a viable referral option for the large number of patients with anxiety related problems that present to general practitioners.