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Anxiety disorders are common in young people, affecting 4%–7% of children. It appears that the majority of “adult” anxiety disorders begin in childhood and are stable and often chronic conditions, so an effective intervention can have lifelong benefits.

While there are many different anxiety disorders, the mainstay of treatment for nearly all of them is the same: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Anxiety disorders, in general, for children and adolescents, can be a very big problem. A big issue is that anxiety disorders are often not the first diagnoses considered and they are often overlooked.

Insomnia is one of the most common comorbidities you’ll see in your depressed and anxious patients. But it is often misunderstood. While the common view is that insomnia is caused by a primary psychiatric or medical condition, it is more accurate to simply say that patients have insomnia and depression at the same time. Insomnia is almost never an isolated problem.

This handy table lists the medications most often used to treat insomnia.

Most of us who prescribe benzodiazepines (BZs) have a love-hate relationship with them. On the one hand, they work quickly and effectively for anxiety and agitation, but on the other hand, we worry about sedative side effects and the fact that they can be difficult to taper because of withdrawal symptoms.

While psychotherapy remains the gold standard for treatment of post traumatic stress disorder, medications are often used to alleviate the symptoms of the illness.

Nobody doubts that benzodiazepines (“benzos” or BZs) are effective in treating a wide range of anxiety disorders, but many believe that they are addictive, difficult and perhaps dangerous to stop taking, and that they cover up anxiety instead of truly treating it. Let’s take a closer look at each of the concerns.