Recommendation Report The Best Treatment Method for Teens with Anxiety Natalie Ortega 4/29/2015
Transcript
1. Recommendation Report The Best Treatment Method for Teens
with Anxiety Natalie Ortega 4/29/2015
2. In the following sections of my presentation, I will provide
further detail on my research methods, results, conclusion, and
finally my recommendation.
3. Introduction Many teens in the Unites States suffer with
anxiety. In recent years, the number of teens struggling with
anxiety has increased significantly. A national survey of mental
health determined that about eight percent of teens ages 13-18 have
an anxiety disorder (National Institute of Mental Health, 2014).
More teens are looking for treatment. It is important to pick the
right treatment for the right person, especially when prescribing
treatments to people who have not yet reached adulthood. I
conducted research that examined the cost, efficacy, and
accessibility of three different methods of treatment. The methods
of treatment I researched were Prozac, Lexapro, and
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
4. Methods In order to obtain the information needed to asses
each method of treatment, the project was organized into four
tasks: 1. Find out the cost of each treatment 2. Gather information
about each method of treatment from recent studies 3. Find comments
and videos of patients who have used each method of treatment 4.
Analyze data and submit my results
5. Results Cost Based on my research, I was able to determine
that the average cost of a month supply of 20 mg of Prozac is
around $4-7. The average cost of Lexapro is around $11-14. I also
found out that a session of CBT can cost anywhere from $120-210.
However, these prices may vary due to the persons insurance
provider and insurance plan Table 1. Average cost of each treatment
method and percentage of cost covered by insurance Type of
Treatment Cost per month/ session Prozac (20 mg) $4-10 Lexapro (20
mg) $11-14 Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy $120-210 Source: GoodRx,
Psychology Today
6. Results Efficacy according to Studies Studies of Prozac and
CBT on teens had the best results of improving anxiety symptoms A
study published in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders examined the
effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on children and
teens. The study found that teens had significant improvements in
their anxiety symptoms after receiving CBT (Kerns et al., 2013).
One study of Prozac on teen anxiety found that 61% of participants
taking Prozac showed improvement (Birmaher et al., 2003).
7. Results Efficacy According to Studies Figure 1. Source:
Journal of Anxiety Disorders, Volume 27, Issue 2
8. Results Reports from Teens that have used each Method of
Treatment The majority of videos and comments I found of teens
sharing their experiences with CBT had positive experiences with
this therapy. The videos teens made about Lexapro and Prozac did
not include as many reports of improvement as cognitive-behavioral
therapy. One teen said: I have had enormous success using CBT to
keep my anxiety in check, enough that I enjoy parts of life that I
never could before (Anna B, 2012). Most of the videos I found of
teens who have taken Lexapro had a mediocre or negative experiences
with the medication. One teen said she would not recommend Lexapro
to anyone (RGsDevilship, 2012).
9. Conclusion Cost Compared to CBT and Lexapro, Prozac would be
the least expensive treatment method. The average cost of Prozac is
around $4-7 for a monthly supply, while the cost of Lexapro is
around $11-14 and a session of CBT is about $120-210. Although the
average cost of Prozac is cheaper, the price may vary depending on
the pharmacy and the insurance provider of the person who will be
purchasing the medication. Efficacy according to Studies CBT and
Prozac were both effective treatment methods for teens according to
studies Reports from Teens According to teens who reported their
experiences with each method of treatment, teens saw the most
improvement in their anxiety with CBT.
10. Recommendation Based on my research, I was unable to
generalize a treatment method that would be the most effective,
cost efficient, and accessible for teens with anxiety. I was unable
to makes this recommendation for three main reasons: The total cost
of the medication can differ depending on the amount of time a
person will have to take the medication or attend therapy. The cost
can also change depending on the persons insurance provider and
insurance plan. Some teens may need a combination of talk-therapy
and medication to effectively treat their anxiety The type of
treatment that would be best suited for teens with anxiety can
differ based on the severity of the teens anxiety and the teens
medical history.
11. References Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents
(Fact Sheet). (2014, January 1). Retrieved March 4, 2015, from
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/anxiety-disorders-in-children-and-adolescents/index.shtml
The National Institute of Mental Health website offers information
about different mental disorders and treatment methods. I looked
into the information the site provided about anxiety disorders and
the clinical trials of different treatments on teens with anxiety.
The section about anxiety disorders also includes a link to a pdf
of a fact sheet that includes statistics and results of surveys of
people with anxiety. I used this website to find statistics of
teens with anxiety in the Unites States and included this
information in my introduction. The source could also be useful to
people who want to identify symptoms of anxiety. B, Anna. (2012,
Dec 19). When anxiety interrupts a childs life [Web log comment]
Retrieved from
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/helping-children-gain-control-over-an-anxiety-disorder/?_r=0
Birmaher, B., Axelson, D. A., Monk, K., Kalas, C., Clark, D. B.,
Ehmann, M.,& Brent, D. A. (2003). Fluoxetine for the treatment
of childhood anxiety disorders. Journal of the American Academy of
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 42(4), 415-423. This article
documents a study published in the Journal of the American Academy
of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. The researchers of the study
tested the efficacy of fluoxetine (Prozac) on children and teens
with anxiety. The participants were randomly assigned to either
take fluoxetine or a placebo. The effects of the medication were
recorded after 12 weeks by an intent-to-treat analysis. I used this
article in the results section of my report. I used the data from
this study to provide an efficacy measure of Prozac on treating
teens with anxiety. Consumer Reports: Generic drug prices vary by
store (2013).CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 28, 2015, from
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/consumer-reports-generic-drug-prices-vary-by-store/
This article covers a news story that investigates the cost of
prescription drugs. The source explains that more and more people
around the United States are avoiding refilling their prescriptions
because of the high cost. The article lists the cost of several
popular medications and explains that prices can vary significantly
based on the pharmacy where the medication is purchased. I used
this source in the results section of my report to discuss the cost
of each method of treatment.
12. David, D., Lupu, V., Sava, F. A., Szentagotai, A., &
Yates, B. T. (2009). Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of
cognitive therapy, rational emotive behavioral therapy, and
fluoxetine (Prozac) in treating depression: a randomized clinical
trial. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 65, 36. In this article,
researchers compared the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of
talk-therapy and Prozac. The study performed a randomized clinical
trial of each treatment for 14 weeks on a sample of 170 clients.
The study used the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to obtain
anxiety scores of clients before and after treatment. These scores
were then compared to the cost of each method of treatment. I used
the results of this study in the results section of my report. I
used it provide information about the cost of talk-therapy and
Prozac. Escitalopram (Lexapro). (2015). Retrieved March 28, 2015,
from http://www.goodrx.com/escitalopram/price Fluoxetine (Prozac)
(2015). Retrieved March 28, 2015, from
http://www.goodrx.com/prozac/price Kerns, C. M., Read, K. L.,
Klugman, J., & Kendall, P. C. (2013). Cognitive behavioral
therapy for youth with social anxiety: Differential short and
long-term treatment outcomes. Journal Of Anxiety Disorders, 27(2),
210-215. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.01.009 Lusk, P., & Melnyk,
B. M. (2013). COPE for depressed and anxious teens: A brief
cognitivebehavioral skills building intervention to increase access
to timely, evidencebased treatment. Journal of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatric Nursing, 26, 31. doi:10.1111/jcap.12017 COPE (Creating
Opportunities for Personal Empowerment) is a treatment program for
depressed and anxious teens that divides therapy into 30 minute
outpatient sessions. The article discusses the goals of this
program and the lessons that would be taught in each session. The
article also discusses how this type of therapy program would be
particularly beneficial to teens. I used this article to emphasis
the growing population of teens with anxiety in my introduction. I
used information from this article that stated how many teens are
dealing with a mental disorder nationwide. Psychology Today
Therapists (2002). Retrieved from
https://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_detail.php?profid=74241&sid=1429079470.4133_25942&city=Houston&count
y=Harris&state=TX&spec=293&tr=ResultsName RGsDevilship.
(2012, Dec 16). Life after Lexapro [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIX9ccjeF30