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| |  DG DISPATCH - AACAP: Sertraline Effective For Adolescent Anxiety Disorders By Lara Pullen Special to DG News CHICAGO, IL -- October 22, 1999 -- Children and adolescents who are diagnosed with anxiety disorders have been largely overlooked by clinical trials. Now there is evidence to suggest that treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant, sertraline (50 mg), can result in clear improvement for this group of patients.
Dr. Moira Rynn, of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, PA, presented the results of the double-blind, placebo-controlled study at the 46th annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). The purpose of the trial was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of sertraline in patients age seven to 17 with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), separation anxiety disorder (SAD) and anxiety disorder not otherwise specified (NOS). Both children and parents were interviewed with the Anxiety Disorders Diagnostic Interview Schedule-Revised (ADIS-R) as well as several self-report anxiety scales: Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) and Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC). The 14 children who met the diagnosis of GAD, SAD, or anxiety disorder NOS by clinical exam and had a score greater than 4 on the ADIS-R at baseline were randomized to receive either placebo or 25 mg of sertraline (which was increased to 50 mg at week 1). There was a statistically significant difference for global improvement beginning at week 2. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the study was that the sertraline was better tolerated than was generally expected.
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