Conditions We Treat

Disruptive behaviors in children are often the common final pathway for a wide variety of childhood concerns. They can arise from mood disorders, anxiety, poor impulse control and hyperactivity, learning disorders, speech and language disorders, substance abuse and issues in the home environment.

The first step in treating problematic behaviors, such as oppositionality and defiance, is a thorough diagnostic evaluation to assess for any contributing factors. After a comprehensive evaluation your clinician can target interventions to address those factors that are specific to your child and your situation. Treatment of behavioral problems in children includes support and training for parents and caregivers in how best to respond to the behaviors, in addition to addressing any underlying disorders present in your child. Our team provides evidence-based approaches in parent training as part of the overall comprehensive treatment plan for disruptive behaviors. In addition we can consult with your child's school when appropriate to assure behavioral interventions are consistent across domains in your child's life.

Eating disorders in children and adolescents can be caused by a variety of factors and can present in many different ways. As a result, these conditions are often not diagnosed or treated until they have progressed to the point of significant impairment of a young person's life. Despite the frequency with which eating disorders may be overlooked, their incidence is in fact quite high.

After a comprehensive evaluation of the causes and manifestations of your child's problematic eating behaviors, your clinician can target interventions to respond to those factors that may be contributing to the condition, as well as to reverse its course. Often, treatment of eating disorders in children and adolescents includes participation of parents and it is important for a clinician to coach caregivers in how best to address problematic behaviors, in addition to targeting any underlying disorders present in your child. Our team provides evidence-based approaches in family-based treatment as part of the overall multi-disciplinary treatment plan for eating disorders, which often includes working with a team of practitioners, such as psychologists and social workers, as a supplement to the care provided by our medical staff.

Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric illnesses for children, adolescents, and adults. High levels of anxiety can affect every aspect of a person's daily life. Anxiety can prevent a person from meeting their daily goals, establishing and maintaining relationships, maximizing their potential at school or work, and fulfilling their dreams. Anxiety presents differently across the course of normal human development and requires specialized approaches at each stage. Anxiety disorders also frequently occur along with other disorders including tic disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mood disorders including depression, and substance use disorders.

Effective and established evidence-based treatments do exist for the treatment of anxiety and related disorders. The Weill Cornell Psychiatry Specialty Center has leaders in the field of anxiety and related disorders across the lifespan and we can provide the most state-of-the-art and developmentally appropriate treatments for anxiety. Our faculty specialize in treating anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder (formerly social phobia), separation anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and selective mutism. We also specialize in treating related disorders including tic disorders, Tourette's disorder, depression, bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We specialize in evidence-based treatments including pharmacotherapies, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP), Habit Reversal Therapy (HRT), and Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT).

Please contact us for an evaluation.

In recent years the lives of people from age 16 to 28 have changed so dramatically that a new stage of life has developed called "emerging adulthood," which differs greatly from both the adolescence that came before it and the adulthood that follows.

This new phase of life comes with a great deal of demands and expectations and with them comes significant anxiety. The needs of older teens and young adults with anxiety disorders have not been fully understood and their treatment needs have been underappreciated.

Anxious emerging adults differ substantially from anxious children and anxious adults. The most striking differences lie in the potential impact of avoidant behaviors (a key coping strategy associated with anxiety) on academic, professional, and social functioning during a critical developmental period — the transition to an independent adulthood.

The experts at the Youth Anxiety Center are committed to finding a better understanding of anxiety disorders as they develop over time, especially through adolescence into adulthood, and to develop innovative treatment strategies to address the needs of this special population of anxious youth.