Anxiety disorders in an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder clinical sample.

Souza I, Pinheiro MA, Mattos P.

ADHD Unit, Grupo de Estudos do Deficit de Atencao-GEDA

Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. isabellagss@terra.com.br

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of anxiety disorders in a clinical referred sample of children and adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD: 78 children and adolescents with ADHD according to DSM-IV criteria were investigated with a semi-structured interview (P-CHIPS), complemented by clinical interviews with the children or adolescents and their parents. Their IQ was calculated with neuropsychological testing. RESULTS: A high prevalence of anxiety disorders (23.05%) was found in the sample. Generalized anxiety disorder was the most prevalent disorder (12,8%), followed by social phobia (3,84%) and separation anxiety disorder (3,8%). Two children showed more than one anxiety disorder. CONCLUSION: Children and adolescents with ADHD seem to be more prone to have comorbid anxiety disorders, at least in clinical samples referred to specialized units.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16059589&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_DocSum