Anxiety disorders affect one in eight children. That’s according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
“Anxiety is ubiquitous but an anxiety disorder is not,” said Dr. Barbara Milrod, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
Milrod joined St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh on Thursday along with Lenita Newberg, director of the Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Program at the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute.
“It’s not new. Kids have been anxious for a long time. I think that we are becoming more aware of the prevalence and the deleterious outcomes of anxiety,” Milrod said. “I would say that people in our culture, in general, in this country at least, are more on edge, and what grown-ups respond to filters down to kids, often without grown-ups meaning for it to filter down.”
“They’re like little radars. If they know the parents and adults are pretty scared, they can get terrified,” Newberg added.
It can be difficult to know whether children have an anxiety disorder or are experiencing a normal amount. Plus, there are genetic and environmental components that contribute to whether a disorder may manifest itself.
“If you’re an adult who’s in that child’s life on an everyday basis, you probably have a sense that something is changing,” Newberg said.
Listen to the audio below to hear more about child anxiety, medication use and parenting techniques.
Related Event
What: "Understanding Anxiety in Our Children" by Dr. Barbara Milrod
When: Thursday, October 19, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Ethical Society of St. Louis Auditorium, 9001 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO 63117
St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary Edwards and Alex Heuer give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.
