Children's Hospital L.A. Receives $6.1 Million For Anxiety Study

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Children's Hospital Los Angeles received $6.1 million dollars to research treatments for anxiety in children, it was announced Thursday. The study will be the first to measure the success of behavioral therapy and medication, the two main treatments for children with anxiety.

"There hasn't yet been a head-to-head comparison for treatment strategies in real-world settings," said Dr. Bradley Peterson, chief in the division of child psychiatry at CHLA. "We are excited to be able to lay this foundation and finally answer these questions."

Both treatments have had their success, but tough decisions have come into play when a child's anxiety doesn't go into remission. Cost and time commitment of therapy can also be a factor for many families, especially when compared to medicine.

"This is a clinical question for every single child who is treated for anxiety across the world," Peterson said. "Many factors go into the decision of whether to begin with CBT or medication."

In the study, researchers will gather participants and randomly assign them either therapy or medicine for 12 weeks. Those who have not gone into remission after that time will either receive a larger amount of the same treatment, or switched to the other side.

Researchers hope it will provide medical professionals and the families of children who experience anxiety with evidence-based guidance on the best way to proceed.

"If a child has more severe anxiety, for example, is it better to start with CBT or medication?" asked Dr. Peterson. "Then, if the first treatment doesn't work, is it better to intensify current treatment or add the other treatment modality? The answers to these very important questions are unknown. Learning how each strategy affects treatment success could allow us to personalize our approach and treat each child more effectively."

City News Service contributed to this report.