Separation anxiety, social phobia and generalized anxiety in children can be effectively treated with a combination of a common antidepressant and a specialized form of talk therapy, a study published in the online issue of The New England Journal of Medicine reveals.

About 20 percent of children suffer from anxiety disorders, according to current estimates. Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders among youths, and the research is the first and largest comparing treatments for childhood anxiety. Marked by excess worry and fear, anxiety can cause physical distress and keep children from making friends and doing well in school. The bad part is that “anxiety disorders in childhood remain underrecognized and untreated” Johns Hopkins researchers said. If left untreated, these disorders can lead to more severe anxiety and depression as the child gets older. “An improvement in outcomes for children with anxiety disorders would have important public health implications,” they added.

The 12-week study led by Dr. John Walkup, a child psychiatrist at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center involved 488 children aged 7 to 17 who took part in one of four treatments groups: first group took Zoloft only; the second, 14 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy, in which therapists teach children how to face and manage their fears; the third, both drug and the therapy while the fourth received only a sugar pill. The drug was Pfizer Inc.’s antidepressant Zoloft.

At the end of the follow-up period, the researchers found that 81 percent improved using therapy and medication, 60 percent improved on therapy alone, 55 percent improved when taking Zoloft and only 24 percent improved when taking the sugar pill.

“For children and adolescents with anxiety disorders, there are three effective treatment choices. What's important about this is families, in consultation with their doctors, can think through which is the best option for them to pursue,” said study co-author Anne Marie Albano, an associate professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University in New York City. This was the first time, the combination of medication and therapy was tested in children, she added.

Moreover, none of the children given Zoloft attempted suicide during the follow-up period. Antidepressants have come under scrutiny for potentially triggering suicide in some children.

Now the researchers plan a second phase of the study, which will monitor the children for an additional six months.

Jerilyn Ross, president and CEO of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America praised the findings, saying the study Gives parents “a beacon of hope, knowing that if their child has an anxiety disorder not only can they get treatment, but that there are options available.” Ross hopes the study will encourage parents to get help for their kids.

The study, financed by the National Institute of Mental Health, was also being presented at the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry's annual meeting in Chicago.