Recent epidemiological studies have evaluated the concomitant occurren
ce of several disorders in children. Over the last few years there hav
e been reports from Anglo-Saxon investigators that many children with
attention deficit disorder-hyperactivity also have anxiety disorders.
This is the first French study addressing this issue. The prevalence a
nd types of anxiety disorders were determined in 50 children with atte
ntion deficit disorder-hyperactivity using a questionnaire and a semi-
structured interview. Over 40 % of subjects had at least one concomita
nt anxiety disorder meeting DSM-III-R criteria. Hyperanxiety and separ
ation anxiety were the most common anxiety disorders. Among patients w
ith anxiety, over 40 % had more than one anxiety disorder. These data
are consistent with earlier Anglo-Saxon reports. Symptoms of anxiety w
hich discriminated hyperactive children with and without anxiety disor
ders were identified.