Anxiety disorders (AD) are prevalent in youth. This article evaluated twenty-six children, ranging in the ages of six to thirteen, who met the diagnostic criteria for a principal anxiety diagnosis of separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social phobia. Costello et al. (2003) demonstrated through extensive surveys and epidemiological studies as many as 10-20% of our youth experience impairing anxiety. Recent evaluations have indicated that nearly 50-70% of children have not received treatment for disordered levels of stress (Chavira et al., 2004).
Ialongo, Edelsohn, Werthamer-Larsson, Crockett, and Kellam (1995) report that untreated anxiety disorders account for significant impairment not only in school performance and social relationships but also in family functioning. Additionally, untreated anxiety in youth tends to path a chronic course into adulthood, placing our youth at increased risk for subsequent ailments including depression, anxiety, substance abuse and underachievement in education. Kendall, Settipani, and Cummings (2012) suggest that researching effective and efficient treatments is a valued priority given the incidence of anxiety disorders in young people and associated impairments.
The APA Task Force on the Promotion and Dissemination of Psychological Procedures along with multiple randomized controlled trials by several research groups, support the outcome of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety in youth and categorize the treatments as “probably efficacious” (Benjamin, et al., 2012). Certainly, the theories need to make stress upon the improvement within the area of treatment for CBT. First and foremost, it is more likely to establish BCBT in community settings, as this concept requires less sessions. In addition, the implementation of BCBT could pave way for the rise in a number of patients seeking to have access to quality health services. As a rule, CBT for anxious youth consists of (a) psychoeducation, (b) skills training, and (c) exposure to feared stimuli.
Clearly, the BCBT primary results are very reassuring. Despite the fact that the sample did not fully reflect socioeconomic and ethnic diversity, about 42% of participants no longer fulfilled criteria for their diagnosis after eight weeks. A peculiar thing is that 33.3% of young people upheld the same gains at a 2-month follow up. When considering initial diagnosis, it would be reasonable to mention that there was a positive shift from pretreatment to posttreatment. The study on medical treatment of specific phobias in kids revealed that treatment gains changed over time (Ollendick et al., 2009). Significantly, following treatment itself, youth can be noted by possessing less experience using their skills independently. This in turn contributes to the gradual improvement. Yes, quite a number of adolescents are diagnosed with anxiety disorders. At the same time, recent studies give adequate grounds for submitting that such children do not receive the care they need. Plus, despite the fact that CBT for anxious youth represents some sort of the recommended course treatment, the prevailing majority of teens with anxiety disorders do not get the appropriate treatment.
Sure enough, BCBT deserves a careful regard, as it could serve as a basis for a high-performance primary care system in school settings. There is a general opinion that schools represent a truly promising setting; the thing is undeserved children suffering from anxiety disorders could overcome barriers to getting outpatient treatment (Mychailyszyn, Brodman, Read, & Kendall, 2012). In essence, schools should be referred to as the environments in which engaging in the brief cognitive-behavioral therapy could make sense for anxious children.
