Prevalence of Some Symptoms in Adolescence and Maturity: Social Phobias, Anxiety Symptoms, Episodic Illusions and Idea of Reference

In order to compare the prevalence of certain symptoms in adolescence with those at other ages, 6,034 apparently normal subjects aged 9-60 years were studied by questionnaire. Fear of blushing and fear of being looked at showed a maximum in the mid-teens and a subsequent gradual decrease both in males and females. They were more common in females at most ages. The anxiety symptoms also showed a peak in the mid-teens but there was a period of relative increase in the forties. Episodic illusions and the idea of being talked about started to decrease with age in adolescence.