The greatest social and economic burden is divided between the three main anxiety disorders: social phobia (SF), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder (PD).

To examine the pathways of patients with PD, SF and GAD since the beginning of the first anxiety symptoms and before the first course of a standardized treatment in a specialized mental health facility.

To evaluate the period of delay in seeking specialized care and to identify the main ways of seeking medical/non-medical care.

Retrospective study (n = 80). Structured interview were based on WHO instruments: WHO WMH CIDI and WHO Pathways to care encounter form.

Average age was 38 years, more females (72.5%). The delay period was 7 years (GAD = 8.7; SF = 8.2, PD = 5.9), during which at least 2 episodes of the disease. The most popular specialists were: neurologists (19%), psychiatrists (17%) (one-time visits to which were not accompanied by the appointment of a standardized course of treatment for an adequate period of time) and therapists (15%). Non-medical care was 10% of all studied (psychologists–5%, healers–3%, priests–2%). SF–psychiatrists (43%), therapists (14%), psychologists (14%); GAD–psychiatrists (22%), neurologists (19%), psychotherapists (11%), ambulance doctor (11%); PD–therapists (22%), neurologists (22%), ambulance doctor (17%), cardiologists (9%).

The findings suggest that patients with anxiety disorders have a long period of delay in receiving specialized care that causes the value of the social and economic burden of anxiety disorders in the community.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.