Childhood anxiety disorders and depression: Phenomenology, comorbidity, and intervention issues

Although burgeoning literatures have developed on childhood anxiety disorders and depression, little attention has been given to the association between these disorders. We examine the phenomenology and diagnostic criteria for childhood anxiety disorders and depression. Typically, these disorders are viewed as separate clinical phenomena. However, our review of empirical findings suggests that there is an overlap between anxiety and depressive disorders in children and adolescents. As the implications of this association for cognitive behavioural treatments have yet to be articulated, we offer some rudimentary suggestions regarding the treatment of children exhibiting both anxiety and depression.