The symptoms of adolescent anxiety disorders typically include intense fear and worry or uneasiness that lasts for long periods of time and that can significantly disrupt lives. There are several different anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. In young people ages 9 to 17, about 13% experience some kind of anxiety disorder. If left untreated, anxiety disorders can lead to school absences or an inability to finish school, impaired relations with peers, low self-esteem, alcohol or other drug use, problems adjusting to work situations, and anxiety disorder in adulthood.

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E. Jane Costello, Ph.D., Duke University

Martin Franklin, Ph.D., University ofPennsylvania

Jerome Kagan, Ph.D., Harvard University

Philip Kendall, Ph.D., Temple University

Rachel Klein, Ph.D., New York University

Henrietta Leonard, M.D., Brown University

Michael Liebowitz, M.D., Columbia University

John March, M.D., M.P.H., Duke University

Richard McNally, Ph.D., Harvard University

Thomas Ollendick, Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Daniel Pine, M.D., National Institute of Mental Health

Robert Pynoos, M.D., University of California at Los Angeles

Wendy Silverman, Ph.D., Florida International University

Linda Spear, Ph.D., Binghamton University