Anxiety
disorders are among the most common mental
disorders during childhood and adolescence, with a prevalence of 3 — 5 % in school - age children (6 — 12 years) and 10 — 19 % in adolescents (13 — 18 years); 1, 2 and the prevalence of anxiety
disorders in this population
tends to increase over time.3 Anxiety is the most common psychological symptom reported by children and adolescents; however, presentation varies with age as younger patients often report undifferentiated anxiety symptoms, for example, muscle tension, headache, stomachache or angry outbursts.4 According to the standard diagnostic systems, there are various types of anxiety
disorders, for example, generalised anxiety
disorder (GAD), social phobias (SOP), social anxiety
disorder (SAD), panic
disorder (PD), overanxious
disorder, separation anxiety, post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), obsessive - compulsive
disorder (OCD).5 Anxiety
disorders in children and adolescents often occur with a number of comorbidities, such as
autism spectrum disorders, 6 depressive
disorders, 7 conduct
disorder, 8 substance abuse9 or suicide - related behaviour.10 Youths with anxiety
disorders experience serious impairment in social functioning (eg, poor school achievement; relational problems with family members and peers).11, 12 Childhood and adolescent anxiety
disorders can persist despite treatment, 1 and they are associated with later adult psychopathology.13, 14