Treatment of Anxiety in Children: Long-Term Follow-up

Initial treatment responders at 12 weeks maintained significant positive outcomes after 6 months of maintenance treatment.

The prevalence of anxiety disorders in children ranges from 10% to 20%. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are evidence-based treatments for pediatric anxiety. The largest randomized, controlled treatment study of anxiety in children and youth, the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study, included 488 patients (74% aged <12 years) with anxiety disorders (separation, generalized, and social phobia). After 12 weeks, combination therapy (sertraline and CBT) was associated with a significantly higher response rate (81%) than either CBT alone (60%), sertraline alone (55%), or placebo (28%), based on a standardized clinician rating of severity of illness (JW Pediatr Adolesc Med Nov 6 2008).

Duri…

Reviewing Author

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics