Katja Beesdo

Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Developmental Issues and Implications for DSM-V

This review summarizes findings on the epidemiology and etiology of anxiety disorders among children and adolescents including separation anxiety disorder, specific phobia, social phobia, agoraphobia, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, also highlighting critical aspects of diagnosis, assessment, and treatment. Childhood and adolescence is the core risk phase for the development of anxiety symptoms and syndromes, ranging from transient mild symptoms to full-blown anxiety disorders. This article critically reviews epidemiological evidence covering prevalence, incidence, course, and risk factors. The core challenge in this age span is the derivation of developmentally more sensitive assessment methods. Identification of characteristics that could serve as solid predictors for onset, course, and outcome will require prospective designs that assess a wide range of putative vulnerability and risk factors. This type of information is important for improved early recognition and differential diagnosis as well as prevention and treatment in this age span.

Incidence and Risk Patterns of Anxiety and Depressive Disorders and Categorization of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

CONTEXT Controversy surrounds the diagnostic categorization of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). OBJECTIVES To examine the incidence, comorbidity, and risk patterns for anxiety and depressive disorders and to test whether developmental features of GAD more strongly support a view of this condition as a depressive as opposed to an anxiety disorder. DESIGN Face-to-face, 10-year prospective longitudinal and family study with as many as 4 assessment waves. The DSM-IV Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview was administered by clinically trained interviewers. SETTING Munich, Germany. PARTICIPANTS A community sample of 3021 individuals aged 14 to 24 years at baseline and 21 to 34 years at last follow-up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Cumulative incidence of GAD, other anxiety disorders (specific phobias, social phobia, agoraphobia, and panic disorder), and depressive disorders (major depressive disorder, and dysthymia). RESULTS Longitudinal associations between GAD and depressive disorders are not stronger than those between GAD and anxiety disorders or between other anxiety and depressive disorders. Survival analyses reveal that the factors associated with GAD overlap more strongly with those specific to anxiety disorders than those specific to depressive disorders. In addition, GAD differs from anxiety and depressive disorders with regard to family climate and personality profiles. CONCLUSIONS Anxiety and depressive disorders appear to differ with regard to risk constellations and temporal longitudinal patterns, and GAD is a heterogeneous disorder that is, overall, more closely related to other anxiety disorders than to depressive disorders. More work is needed to elucidate the potentially unique aspects of pathways and mechanisms involved in the etiopathogenesis of GAD. Grouping GAD with depressive disorders, as suggested by cross-sectional features and diagnostic comorbidity patterns, minimizes the importance of longitudinal data on risk factors and symptom trajectories.

Transitions from first substance use to substance use disorders in adolescence: Is early onset associated with a rapid escalation?

BACKGROUND Early substance use (SU) in adolescence is known to be associated with an elevated risk of developing substance use disorders (SUD); it remains unclear though whether early SU is associated with more rapid transitions to SUD. OBJECTIVE To examine the risk and speed of transition from first SU (alcohol, nicotine, cannabis) to SUD as a function of age of first use. METHODS N=3021 community subjects aged 14-24 years at baseline were followed-up prospectively over 10-years. SU and SUD were assessed using the DSM-IV/M-CIDI. RESULTS (1) The conditional probability of substance-specific SU-SUD transition was the greatest for nicotine (36.0%) and the least for cannabis (18.3% for abuse, 6.2% for dependence) with alcohol in between (25.3% for abuse; 11.2% for dependence). (2) In addition to confirming early SU as a risk factor for SUD we find: (3) higher age of onset of any SU to be associated with faster transitions to SUD, except for cannabis dependence. (4) Transitions from first cannabis use (CU) to cannabis use disorders (CUD) occurred faster than for alcohol and nicotine. (5) Use of other substances co-occurred with risk and speed of transitions to specific SUDs. CONCLUSION Type of substance and concurrent use of other drugs are of importance for the association between age of first use and the speed of transitions to substance use disorders. Given that further research will identify moderators and mediators affecting these differential associations, these findings may have important implications for designing early and targeted interventions to prevent disorder progression.

Common and Distinct Amygdala-Function Perturbations in Depressed vs Anxious Adolescents

CONTEXT Few studies directly compare amygdala function in depressive and anxiety disorders. Data from longitudinal research emphasize the need for such studies in adolescents. OBJECTIVE To compare amygdala response to varying attention and emotion conditions among adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) or anxiety disorders, relative to adolescents with no psychopathology. DESIGN Case-control study. SETTING Government clinical research institute. PARTICIPANTS Eighty-seven adolescents matched on age, sex, intelligence, and social class: 26 with MDD (14 with and 12 without anxiety disorders), 16 with anxiety disorders but no depression, and 45 without psychopathology. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Blood oxygen level-dependent signal in the amygdala, measured by means of event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. During imaging, participants viewed facial expressions (neutral, fearful, angry, and happy) while attention was constrained (afraid, hostility, and nose-width ratings) or unconstrained (passive viewing). RESULTS Left and right amygdala activation differed as a function of diagnosis, facial expression, and attention condition both when patients with comorbid MDD and anxiety were included and when they were excluded (group x emotion x attention interactions, P < or = .03). Focusing on fearful face-viewing events, patients with anxiety and those with MDD both differed in amygdala responses from healthy participants and from each other during passive viewing. However, both MDD and anxiety groups, relative to healthy participants, exhibited similar signs of amygdala hyperactivation to fearful faces when subjectively experienced fear was rated. CONCLUSIONS Adolescent MDD and anxiety disorders exhibit common and distinct functional neural correlates during face processing. Attention modulates the degree to which common or distinct amygdala perturbations manifest in these patient groups, relative to healthy peers.

Generalized worry disorder : a review of DSM-IV generalized anxiety disorder and options for DSM-V

Background: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has undergone a series of substantial classificatory changes since its first inclusion in DSM‐III. The majority of these revisions have been in response to its poor inter‐rater reliability and concerns that it may lack diagnostic validity. This article provides options for the revision of the DSM‐IV GAD criteria for DSM‐V. Method: First, searches were conducted to identify the evidence that previous DSM Work Groups relied upon when revising the DSM‐III‐R GAD and the overanxious disorder classifications. Second, the literature pertaining to the DSM‐IV criteria for GAD was examined. Conclusions: The review presents a number of options to be considered for DSM‐V. One option is for GAD to be re‐labeled in DSM‐V as generalized worry disorder. This would reflect its hallmark feature. Proposed revisions would result in a disorder that is characterized by excessive anxiety and worry generalized to a number of events or activities for 3 months or more. Worry acts as a cognitive coping strategy that manifests in avoidant behaviors. The reliability and validity of the proposed changes could be investigated in DSM‐V validity tests and field trials. Depression and Anxiety, 2010.

The natural course of cannabis use, abuse and dependence during the first decades of life.

AIMS There has been little available information on the long-term natural course, persistence and remission of cannabis use, abuse and dependence. The current study estimated rates and risk factors associated with stability and variation in cannabis use patterns, cannabis abuse and cannabis dependence in a community sample over a 10-year period. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Prospective longitudinal, epidemiological study with a 4- and 10-year follow-up of a community sample (n = 3021) aged 14-24 years at baseline in Munich, Germany. MEASUREMENTS Cannabis use, abuse and dependence and associated risk factors were assessed by face-to-face interviews using the Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Findings At baseline, one-third of the sample (34.2%) had used cannabis at least once. The cumulative incidence of cannabis use 10 years later was 50.7%. Fifty-six per cent of all repeated users (five times or more) at baseline reported cannabis use at 4-year follow-up. Ten years later, this proportion had decreased slightly to only 46.3%. Repeated (five times or more) users were almost three times more likely to report repeated use at 10-year follow up (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.6-4.7), compared with those who had used cannabis fewer times. Peer use of cannabis, life-events and alcohol dependence also predicted use of cannabis at 10-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Among youth who have used cannabis repeatedly (five times or more) cannabis use is fairly stable and rates of remission relatively low until age 34 years. Patterns of progression suggest that early targeted preventive measures should delay first use and reduce the number of experiences using cannabis, as these factors appear critical in progression to persistent cannabis use and cannabis dependence.

Social anxiety disorder above and below the diagnostic threshold: prevalence, comorbidity and impairment in the general population

BackgroundThere is a lack of data systematically describing subthreshold expressions of social anxiety disorder (SAD) with regard to prevalence, comorbidity, and impairment.MethodsThis analysis was based on data from the German Health Survey (GHS) and its Mental Health Supplement (GHS-MHS). Social anxiety disorder and its syndromes as well as other mental disorders were assessed with a standardized diagnostic interview (M-CIDI) in 4,174 adults.ResultsThe 12-month prevalence rate for threshold SAD was 2.0%, subthreshold and symptomatic social anxiety (one DSM-IV criterion missing/two or more criteria missing) was found in 3.0 and 7.5% of the participants, respectively. As expected, threshold SAD was characterized by an elevated risk for comorbid disorders and associated with impairment in diverse areas of life. However, this was also true for the two subthreshold expressions of social anxiety, which were also significantly associated with higher comorbidity and greater impairment compared to the control group.ConclusionsOur results suggest that social anxiety below the diagnostic threshold is clearly associated with adverse outcomes. Prospective designs should examine the exact temporal and possible causal pathways of this burden in order to inform prevention and early intervention programs.

What are the high risk periods for incident substance use and transitions to abuse and dependence? : implications for early intervention and prevention

Background: For a better understanding of the evolution of addictive disorders and the timely initiation of early intervention and prevention, we have to learn when and how quickly the critical transitions from first substance use (SU) to regular use and from first SU and regular SU to abuse and dependence occur. Little data are currently available on the transitions to substance use disorders (SUDs) across the spectrum of legal and illegal drugs taking into account gender differences. It is the aim of this paper to describe the high density incidence and transition periods of SU and SUD for alcohol, nicotine, cannabis and other illicit drugs for young males and females.

Worry Exposure versus Applied Relaxation in the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Background: Worry exposure (WE) is a core element of cognitive-behavioral treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Its efficacy as a stand-alone treatment method (without further cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions) has never been tested.We aimed to examine whether WE alone is as efficacious as the empirically supported stand-alone treatment for GAD, applied relaxation (AR). Methods: In a randomized controlled study, 73 outpatients meeting DSM-IV criteria for GAD as primary diagnosis were allocated to either WE or AR or a waiting list control group; in a 2nd randomization procedure the waiting list subjects were reallocated to WE or AR. The treatment was manualized (15 sessions with WE or AR), included 6-month and 1-year follow-ups, as well as last observation carried forward and completer analyses, and was controlled for allegiance effects.The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Scale were used as primary outcome measures. Self-report scales of anxiety, worrying and depression including negative metacognition about worrying and thought suppression served as secondary outcome measures. Results: The dropout rate was moderate. The pre-/posttreatment effects were high for the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (standardized mean difference >1) and for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (standardized mean difference >0.87). The proportion of patients reaching high end state functioning was 48% (WE) and 56% (AR). WE and AR did not differ with regard to dropout rate or treatment effects. The treatment effects were stable at 6 month and 1 year follow-up. Conclusion: This is the first study to show that a stand-alone exposure in sensu technique – WE – is efficacious in the treatment of GAD. Both AR and WE seem to represent effective principles of change in GAD.

Agoraphobia and Panic

Background: The relationship of panic attacks (PA), panic disorder (PD) and agoraphobia (AG) is controversial. The aim of the current study is to prospectively examine the 10-year natural course of PA, PD and AG in the first three decades of life, their stability and their reciprocal transitions. Methods: DSM-IV syndromes were assessed via Composite International Diagnostic Interview – Munich version in a 10-year prospective-longitudinal community study of 3,021 subjects aged 14–24 years at baseline. Results: (1) Incidence patterns for PA (9.4%), PD (with and without AG: 3.4%) and AG (5.3%) revealed differences in age of onset, incidence risk and gender differentiation. (2) Temporally primary PA and PD revealed only a moderately increased risk for subsequent onset of AG, and primary AG had an even lower risk for subsequent PA and PD. (3) In strictly prospective analyses, all baseline groups (PA, PD, AG) had low remission rates (0–23%). Baseline PD with AG or AG with PA were more likely to have follow-up AG, PA and other anxiety disorders and more frequent complications (impairment, disability, help-seeking, comorbidity) as compared to PD without AG and AG without PA. Conclusions: Differences in incidence patterns, syndrome progression and outcome, and syndrome stability over time indicate that AG exists as a clinically significant phobic condition independent of PD. The majority of agoraphobic subjects in this community sample never experienced PA, calling into question the current pathogenic assumptions underlying the classification of AG as merely a consequence of panic. The findings point to the necessity of rethinking diagnostic concepts and DSM diagnostic hierarchies.