CBT, Sertraline, or Both for Children with Anxiety

Few researchers have assessed the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for treating children and adolescents with mental health disorders. In a multisite randomized clinical trial, 488 children (age range, 7–17 years) with primary diagnoses of separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or social phobia, with or without other comorbid conditions (e.g., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), received 14 sessions of CBT alone, sertraline alone, sertraline plus CBT, or placebo alone for 12 weeks.

The percentages of children who showed significant improvement (rated as very much or much improved on validated scales) were 81% with combination therapy, 60% with CBT alone, 55% with sertraline alone, and 24% with pl…