Anxiety Disorders And Phobias

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-4th edition (DSM-IV-TR, American Psychiatric Association, 2000) there are more than a dozen anxiety disorders and phobias which can be diagnosed in children. Most of these disorders include a criterion requiring interference in social and academic situations or, as is the case in agoraphobia, interference from embarrassment or the need of a companion (cf. DSM-IV-TR). As a diagnostic group, as well, these disorders are associated with a variety of social difficulties including social withdrawal, shyness, problematic peer relations, parent–child interaction difficulties, skills deficits, and cognitive distortions (Elizabeth et al., 2006; Ollendick & Hirshfeld-Becker, 2002; Rapee & Spence, 2004; Spence, Donovan, & Brechman-Toussaint, 1999). Anxiety disorders also cast a negative stigma upon children with these disorders (Jorm & Wright, 2008).