According to pharmacological and neurophysiological data, inhibition of activity can be considered to be a characteristic feature of anxiety. There is a general inhibition regarding plans of action in carrying out daily routine, as distinct from the particular phobic avoidance inhibition.
To study this inhibition, an evaluation scale has been developed (appendix). Applied to 156 anxious patients in this multicentric study, it shows good sensitivy in terms of bromazepam's therapeutic action. The intensity of inhibition is as high in non-phobic anxious patients as in phobic anxious patients.
A measure of the efficacy of an anxiety-relieving drug on inhibition could constitute a useful complement to assessments generally based on subjective experience and physical symptoms.