During this course, special emphasis will be given to understanding how trauma affects the brain and can lead to
symptoms such as anxiety, depression,
panic, insomnia, obsessive - compulsive behavior and difficulty handling anger.
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