ABSTRACT
Defining boundaries between normal behavior and psychopathology is a frequent dilemma, in children and adolescents even more than in adults. This is particularly true for anxiety symptoms, which are not only extremely frequent, but also may have an organizing effect on normal psychologic and behavioral development. Separation anxieties, simple phobias, and traits of generalized anxiety may have a protective role, and only when they are excessively rigid and severe do they represent a significant pathologic state. The criterion of significant interference with daily life is not easily adaptable to a young child. The severity and stability of anxiety manifestations, as well as an intense subjective distress, irrespective of possible provoking situations, without any possible flexibility in affective modulation, may be considered a possible marker of psychopathology.
