Anxiety

Occasional experiences of anxiety is a normal aspect of life, however Anxiety disorders are caused when “feelings of intense fear and distress become [extremely] overwhelming and prevent[s] [one] from doing everyday activities”. They are the most common mental health disorder in the United States. Children ages of 3-17 experience issues with anxiety each year and most develop symptoms prior to age 21.

Mood

Mood disorder is a mental health class that is used by professionals to describe all types of depression and bipolar disorders. Mood disorders are likely caused by imbalance of brain chemicals. Additionally life events including stressful impacts may contribute to mood disorders.

Neuro -
developmental

Neurodevelopmental disorders are disorders that impact one’s brain and how it functions. These disorders often begin at a child’s beginning stages.

What Is It

Occasional experiences of anxiety is a normal aspect of life, however Anxiety disorders are caused when “feelings of intense fear and distress become [extremely] overwhelming and prevent[s] [one] from doing everyday activities”. They are the most common mental health disorder in the United States. Children ages of 3-17 experience issues with anxiety each year and most develop symptoms prior to age 21.

Statistics

Youth Community

• 7.1% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 4.4 million) have diagnosed anxiety1w
• At some point, anxiety affects 30% of children and adolescents, yet 80% never get help.
• Nearly one in three adolescents (31.9%) will meet criteria for an anxiety disorder by the age of 18.
• “Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders in children, with an estimated 1 in 3 suffering anxiety at some point during childhood or adolescence,” says Dr. Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli, a brain imaging expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Student Community

• 11.9 % of college students suffering from an anxiety disorder.
• High school students today have more anxiety symptoms and are twice as likely to see a mental health professional as teens in the 1980s.

Advice/Tips

• Relaxation Techniques
• Controlled Breathing
• Meditation
• Therapy
  *there are a lot of different types of therapy. It is important to find the right one for you.*

Top 4 Types

Specific Phobias People with specific phobias tend to have several factors that trigger their reactions that they avoid to prevent panic.

• An estimated 19.3% of adolescents had specific phobia, and an estimated 0.6% had severe impairment. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria were used to determine impairment.
• Most common phobias include spiders, public speaking, snakes, and heights -- amongst college students
• Symptoms typically begin in childhood; the average age-of-onset is 7 years old.
• The prevalence of specific phobias in teenagers is high at 15.1%.

Social Anxiety Disorder People with Social Anxiety Disorder have intensified fear when interacting socially with worries often focusing on humiliation. They often avoid taking part in conversations, contributing in discussion, and may tend to isolate themselves from others.

• 9.1% of teens have social anxiety disorder

Panic Disorders People who have Panic Disorders have recurrent unexpected panic attacks -- attacks that are sudden periods of intense fear/worry that elevates to high peaks within minutes.

• Symptoms:
  • Sensations of shortness of breath, smothering, or choking
  • Trembling or shaking
  • Sweating
• Emergency Contact: 1-800-64-PANIC (72642)

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) People with GAD display excessive anxiety and worry the majority of the time for at least 6 months. These worries include personal health, work, social interactions, and everyday routine life making it hard for one to focus and complete daily tasks.

• Symptoms
  • Difficulty controlling feelings of worry
  • Having difficulty concentrating; mind going blank
  • Having sleep problems, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, restlessness, or unsatisfying sleep

What Is It

Mood disorder is a mental health class that is used by professionals to describe all types of depression and bipolar disorders. Mood disorders are likely caused by imbalance of brain chemicals. Additionally life events including stressful impacts may contribute to mood disorders.

Statistics

• 3.2% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 1.9 million) have diagnosed depression.
• Depression and bipolar disorder affect 14.3% of youth age 13-17
• There is a nearly two-fold increase in mood disorders from 13 to 18, from 8.4% to 15.4%

Resources/Advice

• Therapy
• Online Support Groups
  • DBSA: text DBSA to 741-741.
  • DBSA Alliance

Top 3 Types

Major Depression (MDD) Major Depression (MDD) is a serious mood disorder that impacts one’s ability to feel, think, and process daily activities including sleeping, eating, and working. Upon diagnosis, symptoms may be present for at least 2 weeks.21w

• Prevalence rates in college students of 7 to 9 %
• Adolescent girls are more than twice as likely to experience depression than boys, 15.9% vs 7.7%
• Symptoms
  • Poor Concentration
  • Changes in both sleep and eating habits
  • Panic Attacks

Bipolar Disorder Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental disorder that impacts one’s mood, energy, and ability to think through dramatic shifts, experiencing manic highs and depressive lows

• TYPES:
  • Bipolar I Disorder severe manic episodes that may last at least 7 days and depressive episodes lasting at least 2 weeks
  • Bipolar II Disorder pattern of depressive episodes and hypomanic episodes, but not full blown manic episode like Bipolar I Disorder
  • Cyclothymic Disorder periods of hypomanic symptoms as well as periods of depressive symptoms lasting for at least 2 years (1 year in children and adolescents)

Dysthymia Also known as persistent depressive disorder (PDD), is a continuous chronic form of depression and is less severe than MDD, generally lasting for years.24w It increases one’s self-criticism, hopelessness, avoidance of social activities, and poor productivity.

• It's estimated that roughly 11 percent of teens, ages 13 to 18, experience dysthymia.
• Symptoms:
  • Feeling sad, empty, tearful or hopeless
  • Responding to even small tasks with a lack of energy
  • Loss of concentration and remembrance

What Is It

Neurodevelopmental disorders are disorders that impact one’s brain and how it functions. These disorders often begin at a child’s beginning stages.

Statistics

• 9.4% of children aged 2-17 years (approximately 6.1 million) have received an ADHD diagnosis
• Based on parental responses to survey questions, approximately 15% of children in the United States ages 3 to 17 years were affected by neurodevelopmental disorders, including ADHD, learning disabilities, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, autism, seizures, stuttering or stammering, moderate to profound hearing loss, blindness, and other developmental delays, in 2006–2008.

Top 2 Types

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity influencing one’s brain development. ADHD is commonly diagnosed among the youth community with an estimated 8.8% of children ages 4-17 have ADHD. It is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder of childhood.27w28w

• Specific Types
  • Predominantly Inattentive Presentation: An individual may have a difficult time organizing or completing a task, paying attention to details, or following instructions or conversations. The person is easily distracted or forgets specific factors of daily routines.
  • Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation: An individual may fidget more frequently as well as talk excessively. It is hard for them to maintain still for a long period of time during daily activities such as eating. Smaller children may run, jump or climb constantly. The individual feels restless and has trouble with impulsivity. Someone who is impulsive may interrupt others much more frequently or grab things from others. An individual may have a harder time remaining patient.
  • Combined Presentation: An individual will equally show symptoms of the preceding two types.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Autism is a developmental condition affecting one’s ability to communicate and socialize with others. The term spectrum refers to the scale level of the severity of Autism on a person.26w

• An average of 1 in every 59 8 year old children in the US have ASD26w
• Boys are four times more likely than girls to develop ASD26w
• Resources: AutismSpeaks