Do you know that May is National Mental Health Awareness Month? According to the CDC, more than 5.8 million American children, aged 13-17, were diagnosed with anxiety disorders between 2016-2019. (Source) What is even more scary is that the number is increasing. According to psychologist Robert Leahy, "The average high school student today has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the early 1950s." (Source) Hazel loves to tell me this all the time! Think of all the things that exist today in schools that did not exist previously. There is the fear of school shootings. According to Pew Research 57% of teens fear there will be a school shooting at their school. (Source) There is social media and cell phones. Now a humiliating mistake may be saved on-line forever! Plus there is cyber bullying and the stress it can cause. This year a student (or students) at Hazel's school took pictures from her Instagram account and created fake accounts trying to say she was dating a boy (who she barely tolerates) as well as other such things. It truly is scary what they can do.
What is really scary to me is how young anxiety seems to begin. Hazel has had it since preschool. She suffered from separation anxiety at a young age but has had much more anxiety throughout her life. Today I get to share with you a book by Dr. Madeleine Vieira that is a therapeutic book and gives steps to helping fight anxiety for younger children. The book is Priscilla Puppy Is Afraid of Everything and illustrated by Alice Wong. It is recommended for children up to 12 years old.
About the Book:
Priscilla has a BIG problem. She's AFRAID of everything. She worries about school work, making mistakes, and even worries about worrying. What's even worse is she's missing out on things she'd like to do, such as performing in front of an audience.Her good friend Ollie Owl has an idea. Priscilla can overcome one of her fears by setting a goal. Taking several small steps toward that goal will help her achieve it. Wanting to play her violin in the school talent show, Priscilla agrees. As the steps become more difficult, Priscilla has to gather more and more courage to accomplish each one.
Can Priscilla achieve each step and overcome her fear even though sometimes her heart pounds and her stomach feels queasy?
Through storytelling, Dr. Madeleine Vieira's I'M AFRAID Anxiety Disorder Series teaches children to manage their anxiety symptoms. This book focuses on Generalized Anxiety and includes an About Anxiety page along with a Coping Strategies page and a Stepladder page. Parents and mental health professionals will appreciate this series aimed at relieving children's anxiety symptoms.
