In what is believed to be the first U.S. study designed to
prevent anxiety disorders in the children of anxious parents,
researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center have found
that a family-based program reduced symptoms and the risk of
developing an anxiety disorder among these Despite its small
size, the study suggests that as few as eight weekly family
sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy go a long way to
prevent or minimize the psychological damage of childhood
anxiety. Results of the study appear in the June issue of the
Journal of Consulting and "If psychiatrists or family doctors
diagnose anxiety in adult patients, it's now clearly a good idea
that they ask about the patients' children and, if appropriate,
refer them for evaluation," said senior investigator Golda
Ginsburg, a child psychologist at Johns Hopkins Children's
Center and an associate professor of psychiatry at the Johns
Hopkins School of Medicine. "Right now, most doctors don't think
about this, let alone broach the subject." Gin