anxiety disorders Archives - Pharmacy Update Online

Anxiety disorders in children can be screened through school health care

Charlie King — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 08:00:42 +0000

A new study from the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry at the University of Turku in Finland screened school-age children for anxiety and examined the efficacy of the Master Your Worries programme developed for treating anxiety among children. The study found that the programme reduced children’s symptoms of generalised anxiety, social anxiety, and separation anxiety. The study also found that lighter, fully digital study material can reduce anxiety symptoms in children.

The study, led by Professor Andre Sourander, is the first randomised controlled trial in the world to examine the efficacy of an internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) intervention using a population-based screening method in school-age children. The study has been published as an editorial in the prestigious Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

The study used a two-stage model to screen children for anxiety at the annual health check-up at school. Over 11,000 children aged 10–13 were screened with a five-item version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) questionnaire, and children who screened positive in the second phase completed the full 41-item questionnaire.

“We found that 80 percent of all children screened at stage two received an anxiety disorder diagnosis. This is a significant result as it shows that children’s anxiety disorder can be screened at a population level. Early identification of anxiety disorders is particularly challenging as some anxiety is normal, and early manifestations of the disorder often go unnoticed by those around the child,” says Andre Sourander.

The study also found that less than five percent of participants had received medication for anxiety and less than 13 percent of participants had contacted specialised health care in the last six months.

“This highlights the prevalence of untreated anxiety in school-age children,” says Sourander.

Master Your Worries programme developed at the University of Turku reduced anxiety symptoms in children

A total of 465 children from all the screened participants took part in the randomised controlled trial. Some of the children were offered the Master Your Worries intervention based on cognitive behavioural therapy and the control group was offered digital psychoeducation, i.e. independent study materials. The study found that after completing the Master Your Worries programme, children’s symptoms of generalised anxiety, social anxiety, and separation anxiety decreased.

“A noteworthy result is that the greatest benefit of the intervention was obtained by children who met the diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorder. A targeted intervention is therefore most effective for children who suffer from severe anxiety,” says Andre Sourander.

Master Your Worries is an intervention programme developed by the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry at the University of Turku for the treatment of anxiety in school-age children. The programme lasts 10 weeks and includes weekly digital material and exercises as well as weekly telephone calls. Previous studies have shown that a very high proportion of children who participate in the programme complete it, and the vast majority of families say they are satisfied with the care they have received.

The new study also found that children in the control group who received only psychoeducation, as well as their parents, reported significant improvements in their child’s anxiety-related symptoms, daily functioning, and quality of life at the six-month follow-up. Parents also reported a significant improvement in their own well-being.

“Identifying children’s anxiety symptoms as part of school health care and providing low-threshold psychoeducation can bring great benefits to children with anxiety and their families. The findings are important in planning low-threshold early interventions and in service planning for children with anxiety,” says Sourander.

Untreated anxiety in childhood predicts other problems in adulthood

Common forms of anxiety include individual fears, excessive nervousness, worrying about past or future events, and fear of social situations. Anxiety is often accompanied by a range of physical sensations, such as pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness.

An estimated 6–18 percent of school-age children and adolescents suffer from an anxiety disorder. Previous studies by the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry at the University of Turku have found that anxiety has increased in recent years, particularly among adolescents.

“Anxiety has increased globally among adolescents over the past decade. Early identification and treatment of anxiety is one of the biggest challenges mental health services face today. Untreated anxiety in childhood predicts depression, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, and other psychiatric problems in adulthood. This is why it is important to identify and provide evidence-based treatment for childhood anxiety,” concludes Sourander.

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Increased need for mental health care strains capacity

Charlie King — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 08:00:11 +0000

Demand for mental health treatment has continued to increase as many psychologists report no longer having the capacity to see new patients, according to a new survey by the American Psychological Association.

The 2022 COVID-19 Practitioner Impact Survey found that demand for anxiety and depression treatment remained high for the third consecutive year while demand for treatment for trauma- and stressor-related disorders and substance-use disorders has grown. Six in 10 practitioners reported that they no longer have openings for new patients, nearly half (46%) said they have been unable to meet the demand for treatment and nearly three-quarters (72%) have longer waitlists than before the pandemic. On average, psychologists reported being contacted by more than 15 potential new patients seeking care a week.

Nearly eight in 10 psychologists (79%) said that they had seen an increase in the number of patients with anxiety disorders since the beginning of the pandemic, and 66% saw an increase in demand for treatment for depression. Nearly half (47%) said they had seen an increase in demand for substance use treatment (up from 43% last year) and 64% saw an increase in demand for trauma treatment, (compared with 62% in 2021). Additionally, two-thirds of psychologists reported seeing an increase in the severity of symptoms among patients in 2022.

“The national mental health crisis continues,” said APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD. “If you are struggling, know that you are not alone. Psychological science shows that social support is key to developing resilience, so if you are having difficulty accessing care in a timely way, reach out to others to find support and identify ways to cope.”

The survey also found increasing demand for mental health services from young people and health care workers in particular. Across age groups, the largest increase in patients was from adolescents ages 13-17, with 46% of psychologists reporting increases over the prior 12 months. Large percentages of psychologists also reported increases in patients ages 18-25 (40%) and children under 13 (38%) over the same period. Nearly half of psychologists (46%) reported an increase in health care workers seeking treatment since the beginning of the pandemic.

“Having timely access to psychological services is critical for addressing the needs of those diagnosed with behavioral health challenges,” said Evans. “But we need to tackle this problem with a variety of solutions, beyond individual therapy. We need to support and expand the workforce, promote integrated behavioral health into primary care, improve mental health literacy, use technology and innovation to expand reach and improve efficiency. But critically, we must expand our paradigm for addressing behavioral health — especially if we are to successfully address health disparities — by using more public health strategies to reach people earlier and in the places where they live, work, play and worship.”

As the pandemic wanes and in-person interaction is becoming more common, 11% of psychologists now see all patients in person, up from 4% in 2021. Yet telehealth remains an important option — more than half of psychologists (58%) now see some patients remotely and some in person, and 31% said they are seeing all patients via telehealth (down from 47% in 2021).

Telehealth services can expand access to patients who might otherwise not be able to access treatment, particularly patients from underserved communities, such as those living in rural areas and communities of color. APA continues to advocate for expanded coverage of telehealth by insurance companies, including audio-only coverage and for reimbursement at the same rate as face-to-face therapy.

Faced with continued demand for mental health treatment, more than four in 10 (45%) psychologists said they felt burned out. However, most psychologists said they have sought peer consultation or support to manage burnout (60%), that they were able to practice self-care (77%), and that they have been able to maintain a positive work-life balance (63%).

METHODOLOGY

The American Psychological Association’s 2022 COVID-19 Practitioner Impact Survey looked at how psychologists” practice has evolved since the pandemic. This survey was distributed to approximately 62,900 doctoral-level, active licensed psychologists in the United States from Sept. 20 to Oct. 7, 2022. A total of 2,295 psychologists responded. This is APA’s third annual practitioner survey.

Story Source:

Materials provided by American Psychological Association. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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