Epidemiology of Anxiety Disorders
Abstract
This chapter presents an overview of the descriptive epidemiology of anxiety disorders based on recently completed surveys of the general population. The overall prevalence of anxiety disorders is shown to be quite high, but with considerable variation from the most prevalent (specific phobias) to the least prevalent (agoraphobia without a history of panic disorder) disorders. Age-of-onset (AOO) of anxiety disorders is typically in childhood or adolescence and the course is often chronic-recurrent. Anxiety disorders are highly comorbid with each other and with other mental disorders. Because of their early AOO, they are often the temporally primary disorders in comorbid profiles, raising the question whether early interventions to treat anxiety disorders might have a positive effect on the onset, persistence, or severity of secondary disorders such as mood and substance use disorders. This possibility has not yet been extensively explored but warrants further study given the high societal costs of anxiety disorders.
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Exercise stimulates neurobiological mechanisms, including increased growth of brain neurotrophins and protection against neurotoxic damage.
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- Authors
- Kessler, R. C., Ruscio, A. M., Shear, K., & Wittchen, H.-U.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Columbia University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kessler, Ronald C.
- ORCID
- Kessler, Ronald C.
- Venue
- Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences
- Publisher
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Published
- 2009
- Volume
- 2
- Pages
- 21-35
- ISSN
- 1866-3370 (ISSN-L)
- 1866-3389
- OpenAlex
- W2143133280
- Cited by
- 496
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 34 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 39 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 36 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 52 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 20
- FWCI
- 52.96
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Current topics in behavioral neurosciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (U01-MH-60220, K01MH076162, U01MH060220)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA016558)
- Fogarty International Center (R03TW006481)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- anxiety disorders, prevalence, age of onset, comorbidities, specific phobia, agoraphobia, panic disorder, mood disorders, substance use disorders, early intervention, social costs
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Agoraphobia, Anxiety Disorders, Child, Humans, Phobic Disorders, Global Health, Comorbidity, Prevalence, Panic Disorder, Age of Onset, Mood Disorders, Substance-Related Disorders
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