Dr Phil Kieran: Should we manage our son’s Leaving Cert anxiety with medication?

Several options other than medication could be helpful for your son, such as counselling, physical activity, and apps such as Headspace and Clear Fear, which teach tools to manage anxiety and stress

The Leaving Cert is a highly stressful event. Hitting the right balance between encouraging students to take it as seriously as it deserves and not getting overwhelmed can be extremely difficult. Picture: iStock 

My son is sitting the Leaving Cert next month, and his anxiety is rising by the day. It’s got to the point where he is finding it difficult to study. He’s always been very sensitive and tends to collapse under pressure. He also found the Junior Cert difficult. Should we be considering medication to help him through?

The Leaving Cert is a highly stressful event. It is a combination of endurance and year-round work, with a severe crunch at the end.

Hitting the right balance between encouraging students to take it as seriously as it deserves and not getting overwhelmed can be extremely difficult.

Medication for anxiety and medication for teenage mental health issues are delicate topics and ones I wouldn’t jump to immediately in my own practice.

However, if you feel it may be necessary, I would suggest booking an appointment with your GP. Let them know what the appointment is about beforehand, as they may need you to come in for a longer-than-average consultation.

I suggest booking as soon as possible because medication for anxiety is not something that works immediately.

Pharmacologically, we treat anxiety with selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, and these take two to six weeks to have their full effect.

You may hear people talking about “relaxers” or “anxiolytics”. These are medications in a class called benzodiazepines. These medications are sedatives, and for this reason alone, I would recommend against giving them to exam students. 

They have a role in treating isolated or extremely severe anxiety — such as when going for a scan or a medical procedure, but are quite addictive.

Several options other than medication could be helpful for your son, and I would strongly recommend them at this time.

Counselling, particularly cognitive behavioural therapy, has been shown to help manage anxiety and stress and can have effects relatively quickly. Jigsaw.ie is a service that specialises in youth mental health and can be a great support and resource. There are also very good apps, such as Headspace and Clear Fear, to teach tools to manage anxiety and stress.

Herbal remedies have not been proven to be particularly helpful in research.

Exercise is something I recommend to all my patients, especially those in exam cycles in school.

Maintaining physical activity helps with exam stress in three ways:

• Having an enjoyable outlet helps keep the pressure in perspective;
• Physical exercise helps with concentration and recall;
• It has been shown to have a significant effect in treating and preventing anxiety.

The deadlines imposed by the Leaving Cert are difficult, but your son will get through the exams, and helping him to recognise he can overcome challenges is a valuable skill for life.

Talking to support services like those above and to your GP to see if further treatment is needed are both good ideas.

• If you have a question for Dr Phil Kieran, please send it to [e-mail]