Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jun;61(6):628-643.
doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13186. Epub 2020 Jan 21.

Practitioner Review: Anxiety disorders in children and young people - assessment and treatment

Cathy Creswell  1   2 , Polly Waite  1   2   3 , Jennie Hudson  4
Affiliations
Review

Practitioner Review: Anxiety disorders in children and young people - assessment and treatment

Cathy Creswell et al. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2020 Jun.

Abstract

Despite significant advancements in our knowledge of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents, they continue to be underrecognised and undertreated. It is critical that these disorders are taken seriously in children and young people as they are highly prevalent, have a negative impact on educational, social and health functioning, create a risk of ongoing anxiety and other mental health disorders across the life span and are associated with substantial economic burden. Yet very few children with anxiety disorders access evidence-based treatments, and there is an urgent need for widespread implementation of effective interventions. This review aimed to provide an overview of recent research developments that will be relevant to clinicians and policymakers, particularly focusing on the development and maintenance of child anxiety disorders and considerations for assessment and treatment. Given the critical need to increase access to effective support, we hope this review will contribute to driving forward a step change in treatment delivery for children and young people with anxiety disorders and their families.

Keywords: Anxiety disorders; adolescents; assessment; children; intervention; treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ale, C.M., McCarthy, D.M., Rothschild, L.M., & Whiteside, S.P.H. (2015). Components of cognitive behavioral therapy related to outcome in childhood anxiety disorders. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 18, 240-251.
    1. American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th edn). Arlington, VA: Author.
    1. American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th edn). Arlington, VA: Author.
    1. Angold, A., Costello, E.J., Messer, S.C., Pickles, A., Winder, F., & Silver, D. (1995). Development of a short questionnaire for use in epidemiological studies of depression in children and adolescents. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 5, 237-249.
    1. Barkley, R.A. (2012). Barkley functional impairment scale-children and adolescents (BFIS-CA). New York: Guilford Press.

Publication types