An open-label trial of escitalopram in children and adolescents with social anxiety disorder.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a highly prevalent and disabling disorder in children and adolescents. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a highly potent and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, escitalopram, in the treatment of SAD in children and adolescents. Twenty outpatients with a primary diagnosis of SAD were treated in a 12-week open trial with escitalopram. The primary outcome variable was the change from baseline to end point in Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale (CGI-I). Secondary efficacy measures included the CGI-Severity scale (CGI-S), the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C), the Screen for Child and Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED)-Child and Parent version, and The Youth Quality of Life Instrument-Research Version (Y-QOL-R). On the CGI-I scale, 13 of 20 patients (65%) had a score < or =2, meaning response to treatment. All symptomatic and quality of life measures showed improvements from baseline to week 12, with large effect sizes ranging from 0.9 to 1.9 (all p < 0.001). Escitalopram was generally well-tolerated. These results suggest that escitalopram may be an effective and safe treatment for pediatric SAD. Future double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials are warranted.
Isolan
Luciano
L
Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Anxiety Disorders Program, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Pheula
Gabriel
G
Salum
Giovanni Abrahão
GA
Oswald
Sylvia
S
Rohde
Luis Augusto
LA
Manfro
Gisele Gus
GG
D000293:Adolescent; D015283:Citalopram / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D015283:Citalopram; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors