Abstract
The Stress-induced and Fear Circuitry Disorders comprise Postraumatic Stress Disorder; Panic Disorder with and without Agoraphobia, Specific Phobia and Social Phobia and are the focus of this chapter, but we include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) for comparison purposes in analyses concerned with disorder continuity. We concentrate on DSM diagnoses (i.e. categories), and do not consider symptom measures (dimensions), but recognise the value of this approach (Rutter, 2003). The chapter begins by reviewing evidence for the continuity of the Stress-Induced and Fear Circuitry Disorders from childhood to adulthood. We then ask whether the etiologies’ of these anxiety disorders are stable across the lifecourse before considering current and future research opportunities. The chapter concludes by discussing the desiderata of a developmental framework specific to the anxiety disorders that could inform DSM-V.