Anxiety Disorders: Diagnoses, Clinical Features, and Epidemiology.

Although anxiety disorders present in many ways, they all share the key features of inappropriately high distress in the form of anxiety and fear responses to stimuli that are not actually dangerous and efforts to avoid or escape such stimuli. Problematic levels of fear and anxiety can result in many negative impacts on people's lives, across social, economic, and physical realms. Anxiety disorders as a whole are very prevalent in today's world, among both youth and adults.

Does Using a Mindfulness App Reduce Anxiety and Worry? A Randomized-Controlled Trial.

the availability of smartphone-based mindfulness training applications (apps) may circumvent many barriers to receiving in-person help, but little controlled research has been conducted on them. This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a widely used -mindfulness training app, Headspace, at reducing anxiety and worry. this study used a randomized-controlled design to examine the app using a 3 (Time; baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks) × 2 (Access; immediate, delayed for 4 weeks) design.

Training in Evidence-Based Psychological Practice at the Master's Level.

Although a wealth of evidence supports the use of evidence-based psychological practice (EBPP) for clients with diverse difficulties, from anxiety and depression to behavioral problems, the majority of training in EBPP takes place at the doctoral and postdoctoral level. This is problematic given that there are many more master's level mental health professionals than doctoral ones, especially in rural and low-income areas. This article outlines a model for a 60-hour training program that focuses on preparing master's students to become competent in the practice of EBPP in a relatively short period of time, while at the same time meeting requirements for licensure in most states.

Biobehavioral assessment of the anxiety disorders: Current progress and future directions.

It is difficult to accurately assess and differentially diagnose the anxiety disorders. The current system of assessment relies heavily on the subjective measures of client self-report, clinical observation, and clinical judgment. Fortunately, recent technological advances may enable practitioners to utilize objective, biobehavioral measures of assessment in a clinical setting.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Evidence-based treatments and future directions for research.

Over the past three decades, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has moved from an almost untreatable, life-long psychiatric disorder to a highly manageable one. This is a very welcome change to the 1%-3% of children and adults with this disorder as, thanks to advances in both pharmacological and psychological therapies, prognosis for those afflicted with OCD is quite good in the long term, even though most have comorbid disorders that are also problematic. We still have far to go, however, until OCD can be described as either easily treatable or the effective treatments are widely known about among clinicians.

Rage attacks in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: phenomenology and clinical correlates.

Objective: Rage attacks have been documented in youth with varied psychiatric disorders, but few data have been reported on the clinical characteristics and correlates of rage attacks among children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Method: Participants were 86 children (ages 6-16 years) with a primary diagnosis of OCD. Patients and their primary caregiver were administered clinician-rated measures of obsessive-compulsive severity and rage severity.

Quality of life in children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder: base rates, parent-child agreement, and clinical correlates.

The presence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been linked to decreased quality of life (QoL) among adults, yet little is known about the impact of OCD on QoL in pediatric patients. Sixty-two youth with OCD and their parent(s) were administered the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale following a clinical interview. Children completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory and parents completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Parent Proxy Inventory and Child Behavior Checklist.

Mood disorders in children and adolescents.

Childhood mood disorders such as major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder have been found to be highly prevalent among children and adolescents. The emotional and behavioral dysfunction associated with these mood disorders can cause impairments across areas of functioning, including academic and social arenas. This article reviews the course, possible causes, assessment, and treatment of this group of disorders in youth and concludes by examining the implications for nurses and other health care providers of youth with mood disorders.

Sleep-related problems in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Although attention has been given to presence of sleep related problems (SRPs) in children with psychiatric conditions, little has been reported on SRPs in youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Sixty-six children and adolescents with OCD were administered the Children's Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and completed the Children's Depression Inventory and Multidimensional Anxiety Scale. Their parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist and Children's Obsessive-Compulsive Impact Scale.

Clinical features of children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder and hoarding symptoms.

Objective: This study was conducted to examine whether pediatric patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and hoarding symptoms differed in terms of clinical characteristics from pediatric OCD patients without hoarding symptoms.

Method: Eighty children and adolescents with OCD (range, 7-17 years) completed clinician-administered and parent- and child-report measures of OCD symptom severity, impairment, and emotional and behavioral symptoms.

Results: Twenty-one youth endorsed significant hoarding symptoms.

A measure of functional impairment in youth with Tourette's syndrome.

Objective: Tourette's Syndrome (TS) during childhood is linked to varied behavioral and psychological difficulties and functional impairment. The current study was undertaken to examine both tic-related impairment and impairment from other psychological problems in 59 youth (mean age 11.4 years, 69% male) with TS.