Kids in Washington State are suffering from alarmingly high levels of anxiety and stress, a situation some parents fear will be elevated by the state’s upcoming mask mandate lift. In fact, Washington, in line with many states across the country is experiencing a crisis in children’s mental health since the pandemic started.
AccordingĀ to National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMH) 2021 Washington Fact Sheet, 82,000 Washington kids ages 12-17 struggle with anxiety and depression.Ā More than 50% of Washington children ages 11-17 years old have thought about suicide or self-harm during the pandemic according to the Washington Chapter of The American Academy of Pediatrics. Ā And, the CDC reports that emergency room visits for children ages 5-17 have increased by more than 24% since the beginning of the pandemic. For pediatrician tips on helping to manage anxiety in kids, check out Dr. Sarah Bergman Lewis’ article When Anxiety Takes a Room in Your House.
Below are a list of resources for families dealing with child anxiety or other mental health concerns:
Anxiety Reduction Programs for Kids
- Seattle Childrenās Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Anxiety Program. Anxious children (ages 5 to 17) and their parents participate in concurrent groups (based on age group) to learn proven anxiety management techniques. seattlechildrens.org or 206-987-2164.
- The Child Anxiety Center at EBTCS. A place for kids dealing with diagnosed anxiety disorders or just in need of a good therapist to navigate the ups and downs of growing up in a pandemic. Evidence Based Treatment Centers of Seattle: ebtseattle.com/child-anxiety/ or call 206-374-0109.
- Seattle Times Education Lab mental health resource guide for teens: Children ages 13 and up can self-refer for mental health care. The Times, King County Public health and local teens created this multicultural guide to help young people find the help they need: seattletimes.com/education-lab/seattle-area-youth-created-this-guide-to-connect-teens-to-multicultural-mental-health-care/
COVID-19 Parental Resource Kits
- The Centers for Disease Control offers tools and printouts to help parents help children deal with pandemic anxiety and stress. Go to cdc.gov/mentalhealth/stress-coping/parental-resources.
- Washington Chapter of The American Academy of Pediatrics website has a wealth of information and resources to help parents help children. Go to wcaap.org/resources/behavioral-health.
Books for parents
- Parenting Your Anxious Child with Mindfulness and Acceptance by Christopher McCurry, Ph.D.
- Helping Your Anxious Child by Ronald Rapee, Ph.D.
- Getting to Calm, The Early Years by Laura S. Kastner, Ph.D.
- Getting to Calm: Cool-Headed Strategies for Parenting Tweens + Teens by Laura S. Kastner, Ph.D.
Books for children
- I Bet I Won’t Fret: A Workbook to Help Children with Generalized Anxiety Disorder by Timothy A. Sisemore, Ph.D.
- What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety (What to Do Guides for Kids) by Dawn Huebner, Ph.D.
Films
Ask your school or library for a screening of Angst, by Seattle resident and documentary filmmaker Matt Skerritt. This hour long film explores the disturbing uptick in anxiety in children; its causes, effects and how to deal with it. The filmmakers have also created an online resource for parents at angstmovie.com/resources/.
Anxiety Reducing Games
Check out the Mightier program developed by clinicians from Boston Childrenās Hospital and Harvard Medical School. With Mightier, anxious kids practice cooling down/calming down or ātaking a pauseā in a fun play environment: www.mightier.com
Smart Device Apps (search your device App Store)
- Healthy Minds Program app for skill-based meditation learning
- HowRightNow.org app to help manage hard feelings in theĀ moment
- Calm mindfulness app
- Happify tools and programs to help take control of feelings and thoughts
- Headspace guided meditation, articles and videos
- Stop, Breathe & Think meditation and mindfulness app