Pediatric Anxiety — Underrecognized and Undertreated

Abstract

Generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and social phobia are relatively prevalent disorders that affect 6 to 20% of children and adolescents.¹ However, these disorders frequently go unrecognized by medical professionals. This is a critical problem, since a younger age of onset and severity of illness result in poor outcomes in adolescents and adults. Furthermore, the failure to identify these disorders early in life leads to increased rates of anxiety disorders, depression, and substance abuse later in life, as well as to educational underachievement.² In this issue of the Journal, the report by Walkup et al. on the Child–Adolescent Anxiety . . .