NCJ Number
205765
Journal
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 43 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2004 Pages: 752-760
Date Published
June 2004
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Given that there is insufficient data on generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in children and adolescents, this study describes symptoms and comorbidity of generalized anxiety disorder as a function of age, gender, and comorbidity in a consecutive series of referred children and adolescents.
Abstract
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive anxiety of at least 6 months' duration, occurring most days; the anxiety does not focus on a specific situation or objects and is not triggered by recent stressful events, and it is difficult to control. There are still insufficient data on its epidemiology and the clinical picture of GAD in children and adolescents compared with the adult form of GAD. Studies on age at onset suggest that the majority of people with GAD experience their first symptoms in their late teen years, in their 20's, or in their early 30's. The current study involved 157 outpatients (97 males and 60 females, 50 children and 107 adolescents, age range of 7-18 years) who had been diagnosed as having GAD by using historical information and a structured clinical interview (Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents-Revised) according to the criteria of the DSM-IV. More than 75 percent of the participants reported feelings of tension, apprehensive expectations, negative self-image, the need for reassurance, irritability, and physical complaints. Differences in symptomatology according to age and gender were insignificant. Depressive disorder was the most frequent comorbidity, being present in 56 percent of the patients. Comorbid anxiety disorders were present in approximately 75 percent of the participants, and 21 percent manifested externalizing disorders. Subjects with comorbid depression had less anxiety comorbidity; subjects with comorbid separation anxiety disorder had higher rates of panic disorder; and subjects with comorbid externalizing disorders had higher rates of bipolar disorder. This study concludes that the referred children and adolescents with GAD were heavily symptomatic and had frequent comorbidity. It suggests that a more precise definition of the clinical picture may help to achieve early diagnosis and prevention of superimposed mental disorders. 6 tables and 53 references