Efficacy of antidepressant medications in children and adolescents with non-obsessive-compulsive disorder anxiety disorders: a systematic assessment

Abstract

Introduction: Anxiety disorders are relatively common psychiatric illnesses in children and adolescents. In young people, such disorders are likely to show severe outcomes and adversely impact on multiple aspects of personality and social integration.

Area covered: This article aims to analyze systematically the efficacy of both old- and new-generation antidepressants in children and adolescents diagnosed with non-obsessive-compulsive disorder anxiety disorders.

Expert opinion: Reviewed data demonstrate that social phobia is the only pediatric anxiety disorder whose response to antidepressant medications has been investigated in an adequate number of studies. In this clinical condition, venlafaxine and fluoxetine (and fluvoxamine as second choice) are the only antidepressants that have shown convincing reports on efficacy. In contrast, apart from preliminary observations suggesting the efficacy of sertraline in pediatric generalized anxiety disorder, no evidence-based information definitively supports the use of antidepressants for managing other juvenile anxiety disorders.

Keywords: adolescents; antidepressants; children; pediatric anxiety disorders.