Abstract
More than half of all lifetime psychiatric disorders begin by the early adolescent period, with anxiety and depressive disorders responsible for a significant part of this disease burden [1]. Collectively referred to as childhood emotional disorders, juvenile-onset anxiety and depressive syndromes are widely recognized to be the most prevalent group of mental disorders in this population, as they are in adults [2-6]. The prevalence of anxiety disorders in adolescent populations is estimated to range between 8.3% to 27.0% [7]. The National Comorbidity Replication Survey - Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A) in the United States found a lifetime rate of 31.9% for any anxiety disorder [8]. In comparison, a study in rural Uganda demonstrated a 26.6% prevalence rate of anxiety disorders amongst children and adolescents [9]. In a local study conducted among adolescents aged 13–18 years in a semi-urban Nigerian town, anxiety disorders’ estimated 12-month prevalence rate was 15% [10].
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