Incidence

INCIDENCE

Anxiety disorders have the highest prevalence rates of all mental disorders in the United States. Nearly one in four adults in the United States is affected, and the magni-tude of anxiety disorders in young people is similar (Meri-kangas, 2005). Anxiety disorders are more prevalent in women, people younger than age 45 years, people who are divorced or separated, and people of lower socioeconomic status. The exception is OCD, which is equally prevalent in men and women but is more common among boys than among girls.