Levels of urinary free cortisol (UFC) were determined in 22 patients who met Research Diagnostic Criteria for anxiety disorder (after one week of placebo washout) and in a control group of 22 nonanxious volunteers. Nonsignificant differences were found in the mean cortisol levels, which generally were within normal limits. In this study chronic moderate to severe anxiety did not give rise to hypersecretion and result in high levels of UFC.
