Anxiety disorders epidemiology

Anxiety disorders and insomnia represent relatively common medical problems within the general population. These problems typically recur over a person s lifetime (3,4). Epidemiological studies in the United States indicate that the lifetime prevalence for significant anxiety disorders is about 15%. Anxiety disorders are serious medical problems affecting not only quaUty of life, but additionally may indirecdy result in considerable morbidity owing to association with depression, cardiovascular disease, suicidal behavior, and substance-related disorders. 

Grant BF, Stinson FS, Dawson DA, et al Prevalence and co-occurrence of substance use disorders and independent mood and anxiety disorders results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Arch Gen Psychiatry 61 807-816, 2004b... 

Pigott TA (1999). Gender differences in the epidemiology and treatment of anxiety disorders./Clin Psychiatry 60 (suppl. 18),... 

Anxiety disorders represent a diverse class of illnesses, with varied ages of onset. For example, according to the NCS-R epidemiologic study,3 PD and GAD had a median age of onset of 24 and 31 years, respectively, whereas specific phobia and social anxiety disorder (SAD) tend to develop much earlier (median age of onset 7 and 13 years, respectively). Although GAD and PD may not manifest fully until adulthood, as many as half of adult anxiety patients report subthreshold symptoms during childhood.6... 

Section on Developmental Genetic Epidemiology, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health/NIH, Building 35, Room 1A201, 35 Convent Drive, MSC 3720, 20892-3720, Bethesda MD, USA kathleen.merikangas nih.gov... 

Keywords Genetics Epidemiology Anxiety disorders Linkage... 

In the last few decades several large epidemiological studies have estimated the prevalence of anxiety disorders in the community most of them were carried out in industrialized countries. 

Epidemiological studies in which age of first manifestation of anxiety was investigated consistently show that, with the exception of panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety disorders seem to start early in life, in the first and second decade of life. 

The impact of life events as potential risk factor in the development of anxiety disorders has been evaluated in several epidemiological studies, hi almost all studies evidence was found for an association between childhood adversities... 

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