ANXIETY DISORDERS IN ADOLESCENCE - CHARACTERISTICS, PREVALENCE AND COMORBIDITIES

Anxiety disorders are increasingly being recognized as important psych iatric disorders in adolescents. The anxiety disorders recognized in p readolescent children and adults all occur, to some extent, in adolesc ents. The characteristic presentations may be somewhat different, howe ver, among different age groups. Generalized anxiety syndromes and pho bias are relatively common in adolescents. Some anxiety disorders are clearly less common in adolescents, such as panic disorder and obsessi ve compulsive disorder, but subthreshold symptoms during adolescence m ay be early manifestations of more severe adult Psychopathology. Adole scent anxiety disorders may frequently be comorbid with depression, al cohol abuse, and conduct disorder. The developmental changes which occ ur from preadolescent childhood to adulthood clearly influence anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders. While anxiety disorders during adoles cence have some features which are unique to this age group, understan ding these developmental relationships may be critical in determining the etiology of anxiety disorders across the life span.