Cognitive Behavioral Therapies Combined With Medication Most Effective In Reducing Childhood Anxiety

Both antidepressant medications and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are effective at reducing childhood anxiety. Among children ages 5 to 16 diagnosed with anxiety and who received combination treatments that included both CBT and the antidepressant sertraline had better outcomes than children treated with CBT alone or medication alone. Compared to no treatment/ or being on a wait list for treatment, CBT significantly improved primary anxiety symptoms, remission, and response. CBT reduced primary anxiety symptoms more than fluoxetine and improved remission more than sertraline.

Compared to a pill placebo, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) significantly reduced primary anxiety symptoms and doubled . . .