Publications [#271465] of Scott N. Compton

Journal Articles

1. Pine, DS; Walkup, JT; Labellarte, MJ; Riddle, MA; Greenhill, L; Klein, R; Davies, M; Sweeney, M; Abikoff, H; Hack, S; al, E (2001). Fluvoxamine for the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. The Research Unit on Pediatric Psychopharmacology Anxiety Study Group.. N Engl J Med, 344(17), 1279-1285. [doi]
   (last updated on 2024/03/30)

   Abstract:
   BACKGROUND: Drugs that selectively inhibit serotonin reuptake are effective treatments for adults with mood and anxiety disorders, but limited data are available on the safety and efficacy of serotonin-reuptake inhibitors in children with anxiety disorders. METHODS: We studied 128 children who were 6 to 17 years of age; who met the criteria for social phobia, separation anxiety disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder; and who had received psychological treatment for three weeks without improvement. The children were randomly assigned to receive fluvoxamine (at a maximum of 300 mg per day) or placebo for eight weeks and were evaluated with rating scales designed to assess the degree of anxiety and impairment. RESULTS: Children in the fluvoxamine group had a mean (+/-SD) decrease of 9.7+/-6.9 points in symptoms of anxiety on the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (range of possible scores, 0 to 25, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety), as compared with a decrease of 3.1+/-4.8 points among children in the placebo group (P<0.001). On the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale, 48 of 63 children in the fluvoxamine group (76 percent) responded to the treatment, as indicated by a score of less than 4, as compared with 19 of 65 children in the placebo group (29 percent, P<0.001). Five children in the fluvoxamine group (8 percent) discontinued treatment because of adverse events, as compared with one child in the placebo group (2 percent). CONCLUSIONS: Fluvoxamine is an effective treatment for children and adolescents with social phobia, separation anxiety disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder.