Diagnostic Paper- Anxiety
When choosing which disorder to research, I decided on researching anxiety disorder for many different reasons. I personally have experienced anxiety throughout my life and have been very affected by it. I also know that anxiety is very common, especially in school-age kids because of the stress of school and changes in their lives. It seems like more and more people are being diagnosed with anxiety in our world today. I want to learn about this and the possible causes of anxiety. I also want to learn how it can affect people in different ways. I chose to research anxiety primarily to better my understanding of the disorder and so that I could learn more about the disorder and the best ways to treat it. I want to be
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I will be working with students ranging from ages 5 to 10, which is when anxiety can develop and start being noticeable to others. There are multiple different ways that I, as their teacher, might see my future students acting in an anxious manner, especially in elementary school because I will see them all day every day. One of the ways teachers may be able to tell if their student is struggling with anxiety is through how the student is engaging in the class period or throughout the day in the classroom. “When a student’s anxiety increases, several other skills are negatively affected, including working memory (the ability to hold information and retrieve it as needed); self-regulation (the ability to adapt, emotionally and behaviorally, to the current situation); executive functioning skills (the ability to visualize future goals and complete the steps to achieve them); and accurate thinking.“ (Minahan, Ward, & Jacobsen, 2021). This could come off as them being defiant, not staying on task, or acting as though they are upset or hurt. These individuals may even show symptoms unique to them and their own body functioning, this is something teachers would be able to notice if they were familiar with the student and their mannerisms. Getting to know your students so you are able to identify when something is not quite right is an important aspect when becoming a …show more content…
“Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problem experienced by children with studies reporting between 3-24% of children below the age of 12 years develop significant anxiety problems that interfere with daily functioning.” (Headley & Campbell, 2013). Anxiety disorders can have significant effects on children and tend to follow them through adolescence and even into adulthood. Although it may seem odd, gender can also play a role in the prevalence of anxiety. Girls are about twice as likely to experience anxiety disorder than boys, meaning that they are affected more. Anxiety disorder can closely correlate with depression and be just as impactful with its symptoms and consequences. “The onset of an anxiety disorder appears to be dependent on the type of anxiety disorder present, with certain disorders generally beginning in childhood (e.g., separation anxiety and specific phobias) and others more likely to develop in adolescence (e.g., social phobia and panic disorder).” (Headley & Campbell, 2013). This suggests that anxiety disorders tend to stick around, with no cure. Although this may be true, there are many modifications, strategies, and even medications that can help an individual deal with an anxiety disorder. There is no right way to treat an anxiety disorder, rather specific and unique aides for each individual. Each person with an anxiety disorder experiences it in a different