Prevalence of anxiety disorders and their comorbidity with mood and addictive disorders

BACKGROUND: The co-occurrence of anxiety disorders with other mental, addictive, and physical disorders has important implications for treatment and for prediction of clinical course and associated morbidity. METHOD: Cross-sectional and prospective data on 20,291 individuals from the Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study were analysed to determine one-month, current disorders, one-year incidence, and one-year and lifetime prevalence of anxiety, mood, and addictive disorders, and to identify the onset and offset of disorders within the one-year prospective period. RESULTS: Nearly half (47.2%) of those meeting lifetime criteria for major depression also have met criteria for a comorbid anxiety disorder. The average age of onset of any lifetime anxiety disorder (16.4 years) and social phobia (11.6 years) among those with major depression was much younger than the onset age for major depression (23.2 years) and panic disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety disorders, especially social and simple phobias, appear to have an early onset in adolescence with potentially severe consequences, predisposing those affected to greater vulnerability to major depression and addictive disorders.