What is Anxiety and Depression? Many students feel FEAR and WORRY, or even SAD and LONELY now and then. These feelings can be normal and part of childhood development. If you are feeling "persistent or extreme forms of fear and sadness then it could be due to anxiety or depression. Learn about anxiety and depression in children. " Center for Disease Control

Anxiety

"When children do not outgrow the fears and worries that are typical in young children, or when there are so many fears and worries that they interfere with school, home, or play activities, the child may be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Examples of different types of anxiety disorders include

• Being very afraid when away from parents (separation anxiety)

• Having extreme fear about a specific thing or situation, such as dogs, insects, or going to the doctor (phobias)

• Being very afraid of school and other places where there are people (social anxiety)

• Being very worried about the future and about bad things happening (general anxiety)

• Having repeated episodes of sudden, unexpected, intense fear that come with symptoms like heart pounding, having trouble breathing, or feeling dizzy, shaky, or sweaty (panic disorder)

Anxiety may present as fear or worry, but can also make children irritable and angry. Anxiety symptoms can also include trouble sleeping, as well as physical symptoms like fatigue, headaches, or stomachaches. Some anxious children keep their worries to themselves and, thus, the symptoms can be missed." Center for Disease Control www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/features/anxiety-depression-children.html

Depression

"Occasionally being sad or feeling hopeless is a part of every child’s life. However, some children feel sad or uninterested in things that they used to enjoy, or feel helpless or hopeless in situations they are able to change. When children feel persistent sadness and hopelessness, they may be diagnosed with depression.

Examples of behaviors often seen in children with depression include

• Feeling sad, hopeless, or irritable a lot of the time

• Not wanting to do, or enjoy doing, fun things

• Showing changes in eating patterns – eating a lot more or a lot less than usual

• Showing changes in sleep patterns – sleeping a lot more or a lot less than normal

• Showing changes in energy – being tired and sluggish or tense and restless a lot of the time

• Having a hard time paying attention

• Feeling worthless, useless, or guilty

• Showing self-injury and self-destructive behavior

Extreme depression can lead a child to think about suicide or plan for suicide. For youth ages 10-24 years, suicide is among the leading causes of death.

Some children may not talk about their helpless and hopeless thoughts, and may not appear sad. Depression might also cause a child to make trouble or act unmotivated, causing others not to notice that the child is depressed, or to incorrectly label the child as a trouble-maker or lazy." Center for Disease Control www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/features/anxiety-depression-children.html

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Warm Lines

NAZCARE (1-888-404-5530)sponsors a statewide Warm Line that callers can utilize from the hours of 11:00am − 10:30pm seven days a week. Trained Warm Line Mentor staff offer callers active listening skills, coping skills when requested, and make referrals to resources and crisis services to cities and counties throughout Arizona.

TEEN LIFELINE (602-248-8336 or 800-248-8336) trained peer counselors are available from Noon-9pm. Peer Counselors provide a connection of hope for teens in crisis.

https://teenlifeline.org/

If you are in need of support, feeling overwhelmed, or just want to talk, their caring staff are available to provide non-judgmental and confidential telephone services. Warm Line staff are certified in Peer Support Training, and experienced in discussion and support related to a broad range of issues surrounding wellness and recovery.