Pharmacotherapy for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents

Medication treatments can be effective in paediatric anxiety disorders, acting to reduce core symptoms, and should be considered as part of the treatment of these disorders. The greatest number of trials showing efficacy to date have assessed the SSRIs in treating paediatric OCD.There is no clear evidence to show that any particular class of medication is more effective or better tolerated than any other. As quantitative data was only available for the SSRIs and venlafaxine the routine use of benzodiazepines cannot be recommended, especially given concerns of dependency and treatment -related emergent adverse events associated with this class of drugs.Future RCTs could help identify potential clinical moderators of treatment efficacy. Studies of the long-term efficacy of medication treatment, optimal dosage, as well as direct comparisons of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy are also warranted.