Types of Anxiety
Characterized by excessive worry and anxiety about everyday events.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Anxiety helps up feel/be safe.
True! Anxiety can help up feel and be safe by alerting us to potential threats and prompting us to take protective action.
In a national survey in 2023, what percentage of adolescents had an anxiety diagnosis?
Around 16%
What coping skill involves physical activity to release anxious energy?
Exercise or movement.
Danny feels anxious about a test they have coming up. How can they manage it?
Preparation (e.g., studying), get a good night's sleep, ask for help, talk to therapist, call a friend to talk to them, take deep breaths, etc.
Characterized by intense fear of social situations or situations where one might be judged by others.
Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
Most people don't feel anxious.
False! Anxiety is a universal human response that everyone experiences at times.
Using national data from 201-2023, what percentage of adolescents reported discussing their mental and emotional health with a health care professional?
What coping skill involves using your imagination to take you somewhere calming?
Visualization or guided imagery
Penny is starting at a new school. What can they do when they feels anxious?
Talk to someone (e.g., therapist), practice mindfulness, make a plan for coping skills they can use at school, etc.
Characterized by sudden, intense episodes of fear, accompanied by physical symptoms like a racing heart, sweating, and shortness of breath, often without a clear trigger.
Panic Disorder
Therapy and medication can help manage symptoms of anxiety.
True! Therapy and medication can help address underlying causes and provide tools to reduce distress and improve functioning.
In 2019, how many people in the world had an anxiety disorder?
Around 301 million
What coping skill involves identifying things you can hear, see, and feel?
The "5-5-5" technique.
Katie is worried that their best friend is mad at them. How can they manage it?
Talk to a friend or talk to someone else (e.g., therapist or teacher), take deep breaths, write out how they are feeling in a journal, etc.
Characterized by excessive distress when separated from a loved one or familiar environment.
Separation Anxiety Disorder
Everyone can tell when you're anxious.
False! Many symptoms of anxiety are internal and not easily visible to others.
Between 2016 and 2023, how much did the prevalence of diagnosed anxiety increase?
61% (from 10% to around 16.1%)
What coping skill helps you reframe/challenge negative thoughts?
Cognitive restructuring.
Rob is worried that they will mess up during their baseball game. How can they manage this?
Take deep breaths, talk to someone (e.g., therapist or trusted adult), use positive self-talk, etc.
Characterized by a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult. Or situations where help wouldn’t be available if things go wrong.
Agoraphobia
Anxiety and stress are the same thing.
False! While both are emotional responses and they are closely connected, stress is typically caused by an external trigger while anxiety does not always have a specific trigger/stressor.
From a 2022 survey, what causes the most anxiety in the world?
Covid-19. 35% of the respondents indicated that Covid-19 was their top worrying concern in January 2022
What kind of coping skill involves using a journal to help you spot negative thought patterns and replace them with more realistic ones?
A thought journal or CBT journal.
Jill is worried because the person she likes hasn't called her back like they said they would. How can they manage this?
Challenge thoughts, talk to someone (e.g., therapist, friend, or trusted adult), engage in self-care