The Cool Teens CD-ROM for anxiety disorders in adolescents : a pilot case series

Abstract

Five adolescents received a multimedia CD-ROM containing a self-help treatment program for young people with an anxiety disorder. Participants used the 8-module Cool Teens CD-ROM over a 12-week period on a home computer. Every 2 weeks, they received a brief telephone call from a clinical psychologist to monitor symptoms and progress and to discuss any problems with understanding content or implementing techniques. Based on structured interviews, two participants (40%) no longer met diagnostic criteria (self-report ADIS) for at least one clinical anxiety disorder immediately following treatment and these same participants no longer met diagnostic criteria for any clinical anxiety disorder at 3-month follow-up. Two other participants failed to make gains based on diagnostic criteria, but showed improvement in anxiety symptoms for one main fear. Participants were generally satisfied with the multimedia content, the modules, and the delivery format of the program.