The treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents

Separation anxiety disorder in a 13-year–old boy managed by the Neuro Emotional Technique as a biopsychosocial intervention

“…4,5,23,24 The NET protocol provides children and parents with a management approach that attempts to resolve emotional instabilities involving the child being separated from the parents. It also attempts to establish behaviors within the child, which allows them to separate from the primary attachment figure without anxiety and related symptoms.…”

“…25 In most approaches, CBT involves some form of cognitive restructuring. 5,12,28 The principle of NET pairs the anxiety-provoking stimulus in the conscious mind with a somatic stimulus. Neuro Emotional Technique attempts to eliminate any negatively charged feelings or emotions associated with the anxietyprovoking stimulus.…”

“…Given the controversy surrounding the current management approaches for children with anxiety disorders, 4,5,15,32 additional research aimed at the assessment of psychosocial interventions, such as NET, may be of value.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5] It is characterized by excessive anxiety associated with the separation of a child from the primary attachment figure (eg, usually a parent) or from the home. The anxiety created from such a detachment is beyond what is considered normal for the child's developmental stage, and the resultant behavior must last for at least 4 weeks.…”

“…8,10 Definitive recommendations for treatment of childhood anxiety disorders are challenging, given the conflicting data among the psychopharmacologic and psychosocial intervention studies. 4,5,15 The purpose of this article is to report the use of Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) treatment on a 13-year-old boy diagnosed with SAD.…”