Provided by David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D.
Surgeon General of the United States of America
Chapter 3: Children and Mental Health
Overview of Mental Disorders in Children
Anxiety Disorders
The combined prevalence of the group of disorders known as anxiety disorders is
higher than that of virtually all other mental disorders of childhood and
adolescence (Costello et al., 1996). The 1-year prevalence in children ages 9 to
17 is 13 percent (Table 3-1). This section furnishes brief overviews of several
anxiety disorders: separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder,
social phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Treatments for all but the
latter are grouped together below.
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