A Podful of Pediatrics

The One Where We Talk About Anxiety

Episode Summary

Anxiety shows up in kids more than most people realize. In this episode, we break down what anxiety actually is, why it’s becoming so common, and how to spot when it’s crossing the line from “normal worry” to something that needs support. We get into: - The most common types of anxiety in kids - How the brain’s alarm system can fire at the wrong times - Simple tools that help kids take back control A quick, clear guide for anyone trying to understand what’s really going on beneath the worry.

Episode Notes

1. . Percent of U.S. teens (ages 12–17) who had at least one major depressive  

episode in the past year, by self-report based on a symptom checklist. This was figure 7.1 in The Coddling of the American Mind, now updated with data beyond 2016. (Source: U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health.) 

1. Suicide Rate Statistics in the U.S. 2025 | Suicide Deaths – The Global Statistics
2. Anxiety and Depression Association of America: www.adaa.org
3. International OCD Foundation: www.ocfoundation.org
4. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies: www.acbt.org
5. American Psychological Association :www.apa.org 
6. Anxious Kids Anxious Parents, Wilson, Reid phd and Lyons, Lynn LICSW 2013 
7. Helping your Anxious Child, by Ronald Rapee PHd 
8. Anxiety Relief for Kids by Bridget Flynn Walker, Phd 
9. The Coping Cat Workbook. 
10. The management of anxiety and depression in Pediatrics https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9650927/

What to do when I worry too much by Dawn Huebler