Theme of current journal issue: Anxiety disorders across the lifespan

The papers presented in this issue of Anxiety document various aspects of vulnerability to, and consequences of, anxiety disorders in subjects from different periods of the lifespan. Several themes are represented in one or more of these studies, (1) effects of anxiety disorders on quality of life, (2) effects on presentation and outcome of comorbid depression, and (3) the role of learning processes and early experiences, including abuse, attachment disturbances and personality disorders, in the ongoing predilection to anxiety disorders. We encourage clinicians and researchers to take a life course perspective in working with anxiety disorder patients, in order to better understand, prevent and treat these debilitating conditions.