Anxiety disorders in adolescence

Abstract

Background: The epidemiology of anxiety disorders in adolescence is different from that of adults. Furthermore, some clinical disorders seem to be linked to the specific adolescence period. This article intends to make a literature review.

Subjects and methods: Besides the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual DSM-5 (DSM IV-TR) and the French reference books, we chose to conduct our research on PubMed, Medline, PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES.

Results: It seems obvious in the literature that the prevalence and the epidemiology of different anxiety disorders in adolescence is different from that in adulthood. Anxiety disorders most frequently encountered in adolescence are social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder, as compared to adulthood where most viewed clinical disorders concern specific phobias. Moreover, a large proportion of patients with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) are teenagers and there is a high comorbidity of BDD with anxiety disorders, particularly with social phobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and with depressive disorders. However, literature still does not show clear epidemiological or prognostic data about anxiety disorders in the specific period of adolescence. Finally, there seems to exist in the identified categories, clinical sub-entities that require specific nosology to this age group.

Conclusions: If a specific classification of teenage anxiety disorders is well and truly necessary, its organizational principle would have to reflect the fundamental question of this age: the prognosis of these different clinical presentations. More extensive research on the impact of different identifiable characteristics of these disorders, biological and environmental factors, associated comorbidities and possible significant functional impairment, would be very useful for the improvement of diagnostic sensitivity and prognostic predictions in psychiatric clinical practice of the anxiety disorders in adolescent patients.