LIFETIME COMORBIDITY AMONG ANXIETY DISORDERS AND BETWEEN ANXIETY DISORDERS AND OTHER MENTAL-DISORDERS IN ADOLESCENTS

We examine the lifetime comorbidity among anxiety disorders, and betwe en anxiety disorders and other mental disorders, in a large (n = 1,507 ) community sample of high school students on whom extensive diagnosti c data were available. Three diagnostic groups were formed: those with a lifetime anxiety disorder (n = 134); those with a nonanxiety disord er (n = 510); and those who had never met criteria for a mental disord er (n = 863). The intra-anxiety comorbidity rate was relatively low (1 8.7%), and was strongly associated with being female (92%). The lifeti me comorbidity between anxiety and other mental disorders (primarily M DD) was substantial (73.1%) and was not associated with being female. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.