More kids are anxious but fewer are getting the right help, study shows
WASHINGTON (AP) – According to new research, more children, teenagers, and young adults are suffering anxiety, but fewer are receiving proper therapy.
A new study examined data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2006 to 2018, examining how many office-based physician visits contained an anxiety disorder diagnosis and what therapy, if any, was provided. The patients seen ranged in age from four to twenty-four years.
While the number of visits for anxiety climbed from 1.4% in 2006 to 2009 to 4.2% from 2014 to 2018, the proportion of visits for therapy declined, according to a report published Monday in the journal Pediatrics of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The likelihood of a patient receiving medicine alone to manage anxiety with no therapy climbed dramatically in the later years of the data reviewed in this survey, which is still being collected today.
According to lead study author Dr. Laura Chavez, a principal investigator in the Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, anxiety in young people is getting worse in the United States.
"The burden of treating mental health conditions in young children is increasing," Chavez explained. "Even when patients are able to navigate the healthcare system and attend visits with a physician, it is possible that they will leave without receiving the treatment that they require."
According to Dr. Lata McGinn, an associate professor of psychology at Yeshiva University in New York City who did not work on the study, one of the study's weaknesses is that it likely only addresses a portion of the problem.
While the study covers patients who come in for therapy, many people do not, according to McGinn, who also serves as the co-founder of Cognitive & The Behavioral Consultants in White Plains, New York. "There are a lot of people who don't receive anything at all."
Why do we require therapy?
The treatment data is problematic because existing evidence shows that therapy is the best way to address anxiety for the majority of patients, according to McGinn.
However, the majority of young people were not undergoing any type of therapy, despite the fact that treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy is a frontline defense against anxiety, she stated.
McGinn believes that patients with severe diseases who benefit from medication should receive both pharmaceutical and psychological therapies.
She warned that using medication as the sole type of treatment could entail being on it for a long period.
"The fact that they're not receiving therapy suggests that they're basically not learning tools to cope with anxiety on their own," McGinn said, adding that this is especially troubling for young people who are still developing biologically and socially.
Getting treatment of symptoms
Living with disorders like anxiety and depression can feel like being submerged in water, according to Dr. Ariana Hoet, executive clinical director of On Our Sleeves, a Nationwide Children's Hospital initiative that advocates for children's mental health. He was not a participant in the study.
Therapy is supposed to teach you to swim, but sometimes you're exhausted from navigating the currents and require floats to help, she says.
"That's what the medication can be," Hoet speculated. "You may get these floaties, which offer you a breather. It lessens the severity of the symptoms, but you still want to go to therapy to gain the techniques to manage with it, live with it, and live through it."
More effective treatment, including therapy, may aid in the growing mental health concerns among young people, according to Chavez.
"We would hope that patients can have access to both, and then we wouldn't see sort of these changes over time that we were observing, where actually more patients are receiving medications only," she continued.
How to ensure your family receives the appropriate care?
While there is a larger issue with mental health care resources and availability, families can take steps to receive treatment.
"Unfortunately, because of the way our system is designed, a lot of the burden for advocating and navigating this falls on the patient and family," Chavez continued.
One of the first tasks, according to McGinn, is to learn to recognize worry in children as early as possible. Avoidance is typical of this type of behavior, such as being terrified to sleep alone or attempting to stay home from school.
While the desire to nurture and protect may lead adults to encourage avoidance in order to reduce worry in the short term, McGinn advocated not succumbing to fear while continuing to aid.
While there is a bigger issue of mental health care resources and availability, there are things families can do to obtain treatment.
This strategy may imply not allowing your child to stay at home while they are anxious. Instead of dismissing chronically worried behavior as shyness, she recommends seeing a mental health expert for an evaluation.
And, while pharmaceutical firms have more money to sell their treatments, she advises finding therapists who can work with your family through evidence-based therapy programs such as cognitive behavioral therapy.
Because negotiating insurance and finding available providers can be difficult, Hoet suggests that families contact their child's school or employer to see if assistance is available.
In the meantime, families can seek help receiving care and services at onoursleeves.org, she said.
Most recent health news
A family is hosting a fundraiser for their father, who has leukemia.
Keep an eye out for allergy test add-ons. Medicaid letters were routed to incorrect addresses, according to Medicare fraud specialists. The Utah Department of Health has reported a data breach.
