Nonresponse to initial pharmacotherapy for social anxiety disorder in children

Refer children with social anxiety disorder to a child psychiatrist, or an age-appropriate mental health service for multidisciplinary input, if their symptoms persist despite:

• using an effective dose of at least 2 selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as sequential monotherapy, each for a minimum of 4 weeks (full benefit may take 6 weeks or longer); and
• discounting alternative reasons for treatment nonresponse.