Less than half of children and young adults who are treated for anxiety experience long-term relief from anxiety symptoms, says a study by Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and five other institutions. The findings were published online in the journal “JAMA Psychiatry.”
“Our findings are encouraging in that nearly half of these children achieved significant improvement and were disease-free an average of six years after treatment, but at the same time we ought to look at the other half who didn’t fare so well and figure out how we can do better,”said lead investigator Golda Ginsburg, Ph.D., a psychologist at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
The researchers say the findings emphasize the importance of clinicians conducting vigilant follow-ups and rigorous monitoring of anxiety symptoms in children, teens and young adults, even when they seem to be recovering. The study also revealed a need for better long-term management of treatment for anxiety in children.
“Just because a child responds well to treatment early on, doesn’t mean our work is done and we can lower our guard,” Ginsburg said. Medical practitioners must be vigilant in order to spot the early signs of anxiety to prevent the re-emergence of a full-blown disorder.
The study involved 288 patients ages 11 to 26 who had been treated for anxiety for three months. The researchers followed the participants for an average of six years. The participants received cognitive behavioral therapy or medication, or both.
Findings and facts about anxiety in children:
135 (47 percent) of participants reported being symptom-free six years after their first treatment
70 percent required some kind of intermittent mental health treatment
An estimated one in five children in the U.S. suffer from anxiety, which can lead to poor academic performance, depression and substance abuse
The most powerful predictors of long-term risk for anxiety are gender and family dynamics
Families with quality time together, clear rules, and more trust had a reduced risk of relapse
Girls were almost twice as likely to relapse than boys.
