TABLE 1.

Anxiety Disorders: Source of Threat, Core Features, and Differential Diagnosis

Disorder	Source of threat	Core features	Differential diagnosis	Median age of onset	Lifetime prevalence (ages 13–18)
Generalized anxiety disorder	Excessive anxiety in various domains, such as success, health, or family, and difficulty controlling the worry	Seeks reassurance; avoids activities when performance may not be perfect; physical symptoms, such as headaches; difficulty concentrating or sleeping; restlessness	Obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, social anxiety disorder	11	2.2%
Social anxiety disorder (or social phobia)	Excessive fear of social and performance situations because of potential negative evaluation	Avoids speaking in class, speaking on the phone, eating in public, using public restrooms, attending social gatherings	Generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, selective mutism, autism spectrum disorder	13	9.1%
Separation anxiety disorder	Excessive anxiety regarding separation from attachment figures, fear of negative consequence to self or attachment figure if separated	Refuses to go to school, sleep without caregiver nearby, or be alone; has nightmares about separation; avoids sleeping away from home	Generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia	7	7.6%
Panic disorder	Persistent panic attacks, concern about additional attacks or their consequences (e.g., “losing control” or “going crazy”)	Avoids places or situations where panic attacks have occurred in the past, avoids places where escape may be difficult	Other anxiety disorders in which panic may occur as a symptom, medication conditions (e.g., hyperthyroidism, pheochromocytoma, arrhythmias, asthma)	20–24	2.3%