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Importance: Two recent meta-analyses reported a high prevalence of both anxiety and depression in patients with alopecia areata (AA), as well as a positive association of AA with anxiety and depression, without distinguishing between disorders and symptoms. Yet, depression and anxiety can manifest either as symptoms identified in questionnaires or as specific diagnoses defined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) or International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision criteria., Objective: To perform a large meta-analysis separating the prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders from that of depressive and anxiety symptoms in patients with AA., Data Sources: PubMed, ScienceDirect, the Cochrane Library, Embase, and PsycINFO databases were searched from inception through August 1, 2020., Study Selection: Studies that contained data on the prevalence of depressive or anxiety disorders or symptoms were included., Data Extraction and Synthesis: The Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) reporting guidelines were used. Pooled prevalence was calculated with a random effects model meta-analysis that took into account between- and within-study variability. Meta-regressions were used to study the association between variations in prevalence and study characteristics., Main Outcomes and Measures: The prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders and symptoms in patients with AA., Results: Thirty-seven articles (29 on depression and 26 on anxiety) that met the inclusion criteria were identified. By distinguishing between disorders and symptoms, the prevalence of both depressive disorders (9%) and unspecified anxiety disorders (13%) in patients with AA was shown to be greater than that in the general population. The prevalence and odds ratio (OR) of depressive disorders (prevalence, 9%; OR, 1.38) and anxiety disorders of which each category had been specifically studied (prevalence, 7%-17%; OR, 1.51-1.69) were markedly lower than that of depressive symptoms (prevalence, 37%; OR, 2.70) and anxiety symptoms (prevalence, 34%; OR, 3.07). Meta-regressions showed that variations in prevalence were mainly associated with methodological differences between studies., Conclusions and Relevance: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the separate analyses showed that 7% to 17% of patients with AA had depressive or anxiety disorders that require psychiatric care, including specific medication. Additionally, more than one-third of patients had symptoms that are warning signs and that need monitoring because they can develop into disorders.

The Liebowitz's Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) (Liebowitz, 1987) is a rating scale of fear and avoidance in social interaction (12 items) and performance-oriented situations (12 items). This paper present the study of empirical and concurrent validation of the LSAS. Ninety-six patients suffering from social phobia according to DSM IV were included and compared with 64 non-clinical control subjects. Both patients and controls were divided into two sub-groups: the LSAS passation by hetero-evaluation or auto-evaluation. Social phobics had much higher scores on anxiety and avoidance of the LSAS than control subjects, whatever the method. There were no differencies between hetero and auto-evaluation in both groups of patients and non-clinical subjects, either on anxiety or on avoidance. The LSAS correlated better with social anxiety and negative cognition in social situations than with anxiety-depression in social phobics. The French version of the LSAS showed a good empirical and concurrent validity and the scale presents a good sensitivity to change after cognitive behavioral therapy in social phobics.

The authors studied data on psychiatric disorders in 34 insulin-dependent and 27 non-insulin dependent diabetic patients by comparison with 25 patients suffering from hypertension. Analysis was performed following clinical diagnosis (according to DSM III-R criteria), Hamilton Anxiety Inventory, Hopkins Symptom Check List 58 and Beck Anxiety Inventory. In all groups the two major psychiatric clinical diagnoses were anxiety disorders (respectively, 53, 59 and 60%, NS) and depressive disorders (respectively 21, 22 and 20%, NS). These disorders were more common in women. The influence of degenerative complications was studied. Insulin-dependent diabetics with objective nephropathy had significantly higher anxiety scores. In non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients, microangiopathy, diabetic foot and poor control (HbA1c > or = 10%) were also associated with depressive disorders. We conclude that diabetics present with high prevalences of anxiety and depressive disorders and we suggest specific therapeutic approaches.

Although childhood anxiety disorders are currently generating new interest, they continue to pose problems in everyday clinical practice. Drug treatment is far from being the only therapeutic approach but does undeniably have a place which should be clearly defined. The main drugs, dosages, indications, and adverse effects of antidepressants, benzodiazepines, antihistamines and neuroleptics which may be used in children with anxiety disorders are discussed.

According to epidemiological studies, prevalence of children's anxiety disorders is about 10%. Among children who suffer from anxiety disorders, a majority also presents one or more anxiety or mood disorders. The children's sex and age are likely to influence anxiety disorders. As well as the children's personality: studies about 'temperament' indeed pointed up this notion. Low socio-economic level of family could be a risk-factor, the importance of which varies according to anxiety disorders subtypes. Current and/or history of parental anxiety disorders, presenting or not with mood disorders, increase the risk for their children to suffer from anxiety disorders.

Anxiety and depression are often clinically associated in children, but are very different in term of effect and symptoms. Family studies favor the hypothesis of a common diathesis for these disorders. Parental history of major depressive and/or anxiety disorders increase the risk of mood and anxiety disorders in children. At the present time, biological studies have not determined any biochemical conclusion for these disorders. It should be noted that although imipramine is efficient in both depressive disorder and separation anxiety, this does not implicate a common physiopathologic basis.

The authors study the course of childhood anxiety disorders and their relationship with adult psychopathology using data from children presenting anxiety disorders. The evolution of some of these disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, is well documented but the evolution of other anxiety disorders is still controversial.

Anxiety disorders in children are currently undergoing reclassification. On the basis of a review of the literature, the authors have attempted to point out the main evidence suggesting that a number of risk factors are associated with childhood anxiety disorders. Age and sex seem to influence the risk of anxiety disorder. The child's personality is of central importance: studies of the concept of "temperament" carried out in recent years have underscored that inhibition and introversion in early childhood are associated with an increased risk for anxiety disorders in later childhood. A low socioeconomic setting also seems to be a risk factor whose incidence varies across types of anxiety disorder. Familial risk factors have a very strong effect: children of parents with current or past anxiety disorders with or without mood disorders are at increased risk for anxiety disorders; this risk varies according to the type of disorder in the parents (for instance, the respective roles of panic attacks and avoidance behaviors remain unclear). Lastly, comorbidity is also an important factor: most children with anxiety disorders also have one or several other anomalies, usually anxiety or mood disorders.

Authors study acute anxiety disorders in children. They distinguish two clinical forms, depending on the knowledge of outer triggering factor: anxious paroxysm and panic attack.

Concerning the update reconsideration of anxiety disorders of children, should childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder be assimilated as an anxiety disorder? Authors attempted to answer to this question by taking into account various levels of consideration which lead them to position childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder in the vicinity of anxiety disorders.