Anxiety disorders school-based cognitive- behavioral interventions

Although anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental-health problem experienced by youth, it is often children with disruptive externalizing problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who come to the attention of school personnel . Children with anxiety disorders may be overlooked due to difficulty recognizing their internalizing symptoms, unfamiliarity with diagnostic criteria, and misconceptions regarding the negative consequences of these problems . Most school personnel are surprised to learn that approximately one in ten children suffers from an anxiety disorder, with epidemiological studies estimating prevalence rates between 12% to 20% in youth (Achenbach, Howell, McConaughy, & Stanger, 1995; Gurley, Cohen, Pin, & Brook, 1996; Shaffer et al ., 1996) . Left untreated, these disorders tend to have long-term effects on social and emotional development . Negative consequences associated with anxiety disorders in youth include academic underachievement, underemployment, substance use, lower levels of social support, and high comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders (Velting, Setzer, & Albano, 2004) . Moreover, evidence suggests that these disorders demonstrate a chronic course, often persisting into adulthood (Rapee & Barlow, 2001)