Andrew
08-19-05, 08:57 PM
By Jennifer Cirillo
Am I going to fit in? Am I going to like the people? Are they going to like me? Am I going to be able to manage the work? Do I have any idea what I'm up against? For most kids, these are common questions that arise when facing the first day of school after summer vacation. While these are common questions, there are no common solutions. When dealing with pressures to succeed and excel from parents, teachers, sibling rivalries and classmates, children can often times become overwhelmed with responsibility that they may not be able to deliver on, causing stress and anxiety. And how each individual copes with that anxiety is different.
According to Dr. Flemming Graae, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Westchester Medical Center and founder of WestCAN-Westchester Child and Adolescent Network, it's normal to have some anxiety anticipating the new school year, but not if it begins to interfere with daily activities. "When kids are in distress, anxious or depressed, what we may see is more difficulty at home in terms of irritability, perhaps more withdrawal, sleeping difficulty, changes in appetite or not getting along so well with one's peers or siblings," said Graae. "These are all expressions of underlying distress where children may not have a language to describe it or awareness."
A way to help children express what they are feeling is to be aware of the things they say and to be proactive about gently probing. Elizabeth Behnke and her daughter, who will be entering the 10th grade at Greenwich High School this fall, sat down Monday evening to discuss expectations and concerns for the year. Riverside resident Behnke said that her daughter, Anna, is concerned about fitting in. After attending private school in Kent for most of last year, this will be her first full year at the high school.
Another concern she expressed was Behnke's expectations in terms of grades. She will be enrolled in honors classes this year and expressed an interest in trying out for the dance team or the soccer team this fall. The school year hasn't started and already the 15-year-old's schedule is filling up. But by keeping lines of communication open, Behnke hopes to keep her daughter's stress level under control. "Communication is very important, and it's not always the easiest thing to accomplish," said Behnke, a vice president of investor relations at a Greenwich-based investment management firm.
Graae, an expert on pediatric anxiety disorders who has appeared in People magazine and The New York Times, suggests preparing children for the unexpected. For example, going to see the new teacher or taking the child to see what his or her new school looks like can help answer some of the questions children may be asking themselves. "We should reduce some of the anticipatory anxiety by doing some of that ground work in advance of actually going to school," he said.
Though the gender and age group of which children experience the most stress (Graae noted that boys diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) outnumber girls four to one) is undetectable, it's been suggested that children making transitions from elementary to middle school, middle school to high school and junior to senior year are more likely to experience anxiety.
In Greenwich, young adults coming into GHS face a big transition. Usually coming from a middle school less than a third of the size of GHS, freshmen can feel overwhelmed with class location, new teachers and a much larger pool of peers. "We have a day when we bring just the freshmen to the school," said GHS Headmaster Alan Capasso. "By bringing them in a day early we can address many of their concerns."
Anxiety on the Rise
While there are ways schools and parents can resolve common causes of stress, there are other outlets for families to seek help when dealing with more serious mental health issues. WestCAN is a non-profit initiative of the Behavioral Health Center at Westchester Medical Center that was conceived by families in Westchester and Fairfield counties to promote the quality of life and mental health of children and their families. Offering programs in care, education and research, training health professionals and family-centered care, WestCAN has raised $80,000 since its formation in 2004.
"The main reason for WestCAN to exist is to create services where there is a large need and to create support for those services that will be ongoing," said Graae. According to the National Institute of Mental Health in 2000, one in five children are diagnosed with a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder and 70 percent of children who have chronic medical illness, suffer abuse or neglect or experience other trauma and have significant depression do not have access to mental health services.
According to a report conducted by America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2005, 2.7 million children ages 4-17 surveyed by their parents were reported to suffer from "definite or severe emotional or behavioral difficulties, problems that may interfere with their family life, ability to learn and formation of friendships." Obviously, there is a need. "Investing in our youth is incredibly important and there is no better way than making sure they are healthy, happy and provided with access to great resources," said WestCAN honorary celebrity chair and Greenwich resident Tommy Hilfiger.
In addition to seeking medical help from a psychologist or psychiatrist, there are many outside resources that parents and older children can turn to. Among the numerous Web sites designated to anxiety and stress-related disorders are those operated by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and National Institute of Mental Health. Sherry Bush, Ph.D., a colleague of Graae and sponsor of WestCAN through her practice Neurosmart based in Larchmont, N.Y., said that school psychologists and school counselors are good resources to start with.
"School psychologists are great resources for support for kids and parents as well as information about which interventions might be best suited for your child," she said. Bush, a licensed clinical neuro-psychologist and a pediatric neuro-psychologist, performs diagnostic evaluations as well as intervention for children who may have a variety of challenges related to school functioning. Over the past 15 years, while working with children from across the country, including Greenwich, Bush has seen an uptrend in the amount of children suffering from anxiety.
"In our area, the greater New York area, I have seen an increase in symptoms of anxiety since 9/11. The news about terrorism is pervasive now. The impact of all this conflict is not lost on the children. It's something that can impact children's overall function and that can't be discounted," said Bush. "I also think that kids are involved in too many activities and there are too many pressures for success. Kids and parents are in a hurry." Joan Lowe, the social worker for Sheldon House at Greenwich High School, agrees. "I think in our society kids are under a lot of pressure to do everything. They have to be on the right team, in the right club, volunteerThey are being pressured to build a huge resume. It's the culture in which these kids live," she said.
Lowe, who has been a social worker for 10 years, works with students, parents, teachers and guidance counselors to address the range of angst teens may experience, including academic pressures, peer pressure, family crises, depression, isolation, drug abuse, sex issues and others. "There are kids in Greenwich who I see who have a lot of the same problems that I see in kids from Westchester," said Bush. "So while there is often a focus on Greenwich because it is a high-profile community, kids all over the country experience similar challenges." Below: Elementary student of Riverside School line up to be greeted by Principal John Grasso on the first day of school last year.
http://www.greenwichcitizen.com/Stories/0,1413,237~25121~3018109,00.html
Am I going to fit in? Am I going to like the people? Are they going to like me? Am I going to be able to manage the work? Do I have any idea what I'm up against? For most kids, these are common questions that arise when facing the first day of school after summer vacation. While these are common questions, there are no common solutions. When dealing with pressures to succeed and excel from parents, teachers, sibling rivalries and classmates, children can often times become overwhelmed with responsibility that they may not be able to deliver on, causing stress and anxiety. And how each individual copes with that anxiety is different.
According to Dr. Flemming Graae, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Westchester Medical Center and founder of WestCAN-Westchester Child and Adolescent Network, it's normal to have some anxiety anticipating the new school year, but not if it begins to interfere with daily activities. "When kids are in distress, anxious or depressed, what we may see is more difficulty at home in terms of irritability, perhaps more withdrawal, sleeping difficulty, changes in appetite or not getting along so well with one's peers or siblings," said Graae. "These are all expressions of underlying distress where children may not have a language to describe it or awareness."
A way to help children express what they are feeling is to be aware of the things they say and to be proactive about gently probing. Elizabeth Behnke and her daughter, who will be entering the 10th grade at Greenwich High School this fall, sat down Monday evening to discuss expectations and concerns for the year. Riverside resident Behnke said that her daughter, Anna, is concerned about fitting in. After attending private school in Kent for most of last year, this will be her first full year at the high school.
Another concern she expressed was Behnke's expectations in terms of grades. She will be enrolled in honors classes this year and expressed an interest in trying out for the dance team or the soccer team this fall. The school year hasn't started and already the 15-year-old's schedule is filling up. But by keeping lines of communication open, Behnke hopes to keep her daughter's stress level under control. "Communication is very important, and it's not always the easiest thing to accomplish," said Behnke, a vice president of investor relations at a Greenwich-based investment management firm.
Graae, an expert on pediatric anxiety disorders who has appeared in People magazine and The New York Times, suggests preparing children for the unexpected. For example, going to see the new teacher or taking the child to see what his or her new school looks like can help answer some of the questions children may be asking themselves. "We should reduce some of the anticipatory anxiety by doing some of that ground work in advance of actually going to school," he said.
Though the gender and age group of which children experience the most stress (Graae noted that boys diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) outnumber girls four to one) is undetectable, it's been suggested that children making transitions from elementary to middle school, middle school to high school and junior to senior year are more likely to experience anxiety.
In Greenwich, young adults coming into GHS face a big transition. Usually coming from a middle school less than a third of the size of GHS, freshmen can feel overwhelmed with class location, new teachers and a much larger pool of peers. "We have a day when we bring just the freshmen to the school," said GHS Headmaster Alan Capasso. "By bringing them in a day early we can address many of their concerns."
Anxiety on the Rise
While there are ways schools and parents can resolve common causes of stress, there are other outlets for families to seek help when dealing with more serious mental health issues. WestCAN is a non-profit initiative of the Behavioral Health Center at Westchester Medical Center that was conceived by families in Westchester and Fairfield counties to promote the quality of life and mental health of children and their families. Offering programs in care, education and research, training health professionals and family-centered care, WestCAN has raised $80,000 since its formation in 2004.
"The main reason for WestCAN to exist is to create services where there is a large need and to create support for those services that will be ongoing," said Graae. According to the National Institute of Mental Health in 2000, one in five children are diagnosed with a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder and 70 percent of children who have chronic medical illness, suffer abuse or neglect or experience other trauma and have significant depression do not have access to mental health services.
According to a report conducted by America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2005, 2.7 million children ages 4-17 surveyed by their parents were reported to suffer from "definite or severe emotional or behavioral difficulties, problems that may interfere with their family life, ability to learn and formation of friendships." Obviously, there is a need. "Investing in our youth is incredibly important and there is no better way than making sure they are healthy, happy and provided with access to great resources," said WestCAN honorary celebrity chair and Greenwich resident Tommy Hilfiger.
In addition to seeking medical help from a psychologist or psychiatrist, there are many outside resources that parents and older children can turn to. Among the numerous Web sites designated to anxiety and stress-related disorders are those operated by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and National Institute of Mental Health. Sherry Bush, Ph.D., a colleague of Graae and sponsor of WestCAN through her practice Neurosmart based in Larchmont, N.Y., said that school psychologists and school counselors are good resources to start with.
"School psychologists are great resources for support for kids and parents as well as information about which interventions might be best suited for your child," she said. Bush, a licensed clinical neuro-psychologist and a pediatric neuro-psychologist, performs diagnostic evaluations as well as intervention for children who may have a variety of challenges related to school functioning. Over the past 15 years, while working with children from across the country, including Greenwich, Bush has seen an uptrend in the amount of children suffering from anxiety.
"In our area, the greater New York area, I have seen an increase in symptoms of anxiety since 9/11. The news about terrorism is pervasive now. The impact of all this conflict is not lost on the children. It's something that can impact children's overall function and that can't be discounted," said Bush. "I also think that kids are involved in too many activities and there are too many pressures for success. Kids and parents are in a hurry." Joan Lowe, the social worker for Sheldon House at Greenwich High School, agrees. "I think in our society kids are under a lot of pressure to do everything. They have to be on the right team, in the right club, volunteerThey are being pressured to build a huge resume. It's the culture in which these kids live," she said.
Lowe, who has been a social worker for 10 years, works with students, parents, teachers and guidance counselors to address the range of angst teens may experience, including academic pressures, peer pressure, family crises, depression, isolation, drug abuse, sex issues and others. "There are kids in Greenwich who I see who have a lot of the same problems that I see in kids from Westchester," said Bush. "So while there is often a focus on Greenwich because it is a high-profile community, kids all over the country experience similar challenges." Below: Elementary student of Riverside School line up to be greeted by Principal John Grasso on the first day of school last year.
http://www.greenwichcitizen.com/Stories/0,1413,237~25121~3018109,00.html