01/28/2020
Medication is not always necessary, but if things are really bad (not sleeping, won't go to school, frequent panic attacks despite therapeutic interventions, anxiety that is so bad it has contributed to depression, etc.), then medication might be warranted. In my experience if anxiety goes unchecked for too long then "anxiety about anxiety" can become a barrier to treatment. Be sure to get a good diagnosis as anxiety can be related to trauma and it can look like ADHD as well. There are many therapy interventions that can significantly help reduce anxiety that are good to learn regardless of medication use or not.
Antidepressants trump all others as the most effective evidence-based choice for the treatment of anxiety in children and teenagers.