The Frequency Of Anxiety Disorders In A Group Of Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Frequency of comorbid anxiety disorders and their relations to other clinical variables were examined in a clinical sample with diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The sample consisted of 66 newly diagnosed children with ADHD aged 6 to 18 years. Diagnosis of the ADHD and anxiety disorders and definition of ADHD subgroups were determined according to DSM IV criteria by using Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children Lifetime Version. Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised was applied to exclude the children with mental retardation. Forthy eight (72.7%) subjects were diagnosed with combined type ADHD, 10 (15.2%) were predominantly inattentive type and 8 (12.1%) were predominantly hyperactivity-impulsive type. Twenty six (39.4%) children with ADHD had at least one comorbid anxiety disorders. Social anxiety disorder was detected in 21.2 % (n:14), seperation anxiety disorder in 16.7 % (n:11), obsessive compulsive disorder in 9.1 % (n:6), generalized anxiety disorder in 4.5 % (n:3) and panic disorder in 4.5% (n:3) of the cases. The frequency of obsessive compulsive disorder was statistically higher in the hyperactive-impulsive subgroups of ADHD compared to others. The impact of comorbid diagnoses of anxiety disorders on clinical evaluation and treatment method in ADHD cases was discussed.