Your friend in high school sits down next to you, complaining, “I am so sick today.” The hall is crowded and you elbow your way through, trying not to notice the people, on all sides, closing in. You’ve been dreading an upcoming class presentation for weeks, but you can’t get another extension. If your reaction to any of these scenarios is a racing heart, hot flashes, shortness of breath, or an out of control feeling, you may have some type of anxiety.
According to The New York Times, anxiety disorders are incredibly common, with 1 out of every 5 adults in the U.S. having some sort of anxiety disorder. However adults are not the only ones developing anxiety disorders. According to Dr. Blair Guidera M.D., a New York City pediatrician, “Prior to the pandemic, I would say less than 1% of adolescents had symptoms of anxiety.” Since then, “there has been at least a five- fold increase.”
Anxiety is a term you’ve probably heard before. Maybe you have experienced it, or know someone who has. According to the American Psychological Association, anxiety is usually characterized as worry and tension which may have a physical effect on the body. Everyone worries from time to time, but for some people, it isn’t so temporary and can get in the way of everyday functioning. This is when anxiety becomes characterized as a disorder. Professionals such as social workers, psychologists, and doctors use texts like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (D.S.M.IV) to accurately classify and define anxiety disorders.
The American Psychiatric Association states that there are several main types of anxiety disorders, each with a different set of symptoms. These include generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety, panic, agoraphobia, phobias, and social anxiety.
Generalized anxiety disorder is recognized as six months or more of excessive and persistent worry. According to the American Psychiatric Association, these worries can pertain to any topic, from family responsibilities to upcoming doctor’s appointments. This type of anxiety disorder can also come with symptoms including difficulty concentrating, restlessness or problems sleeping.
Psychology Today defines separation anxiety as when a person shows a greater than developmentally appropriate amount of distress at the notion of being separated from specific people or their home. Some symptoms may include clinging to certain family members, excessive worrying about being lost, worrying about a close relative dying, or refusing to go to school.
The American Psychological Association explains that Panic Disorder is characterized by a persistent fear of having panic attacks in the future. A panic attack is a period of time when the person affected suddenly experiences terror or apprehension and it can be accompanied by physical symptoms including palpitations, shortness of breath, discomfort, and a fear of losing control.
According to the D.S.M. IV, phobias are specific types of intense anxiety caused by exposure to specific objects or situations, which often leads to avoidance of these objects or situations.
Agoraphobia is considered to be a disorder separate from other phobias. The D.S.M. IV states that a person with this anxiety disorder may be afraid of situations that they consider embarrassing or difficult to escape. This fear can be so overwhelming that it disrupts daily activities such as using public transportation or being in a crowd. It can become so intense that a person with agoraphobia may become afraid to leave their home.
As stated in the D.S.M. IV, social anxiety is another form of anxiety where people experience intense anxiety when exposed to specific types of social situations. This often leads to avoidance of these types of situations.
Social anxiety in particular, has spiked since the Coronavirus pandemic. One of Bronx Science’s two social workers, Ms. Keisha Jones stated that, “remote learning and the isolation of quarantining, certainly led to a loss of or regression of social skills, so there’s a lot of adolescents who are struggling with things that they once found to be easy, or seemingly have ‘forgotten how to do.’”
It’s not surprising. Bronx Science’s other social worker, Ms. Danielle Heckman, pointed out that during the pandemic, “you had the uncertainty of not knowing…if you were going to get sick, the uncertainty of not knowing whether you were returning to school or when you could leave our apartment. There were so many rules and so much uncertainty, and that…is a huge trigger for anxiety.”
However, it isn’t just adolescents experiencing an increase in anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. An article by The New York Times stated that during the pandemic, there was a large increase in the number of adults who booked doctors’ visits for mental health. 45% of these visits were for anxiety. The number of visits during the pandemic for adults with anxiety disorders increased by 73.7%.
There are several ways to cope with anxiety. Depending on the severity of one’s symptoms, different methods can be effective. Bronx Science student Moumita Kabir ’26 shared strategies that she uses to distract herself, “such as playing video games, talking to my friends, or doing things that are stress relieving.” Dakota Lombard ’26 said, “Music, reading psychology books, hanging out with my friends” are some of their strategies.
At Bronx Science, there is a club unofficially known as the Social Anxiety Group. While the name seems counter-intuitive, it’s a club where students can come and feel validated, while also dealing with school-related issues like pressure and tests. This is a good place for students to go if they are experiencing stress or anxiety.
For those with more serious anxiety, some treatments include therapy and prescribed medications. Licensed clinical psychologist Elaina Zendegui clarified that the best type of therapy for people who have anxiety disorders is cognitive behavioral therapy (or C.B.T.), which uses a process called exposure. This means exposing the person with anxiety to the sorts of things they find distressing in a controlled environment, in order to help them become more used to their fears.
Dr. Zendegui also stated that you know when it’s time to seek professional help for your anxiety “when you find that your symptoms are getting in the way of your functioning at school, at home, or with friends, or with your happiness.”
As Ms. Jones pointed out, “a lot of students, especially currently, are so used to feeling this way…that it doesn’t feel problematic to them; it feels quite normal.” Therefore, it may not be getting in the way of their functioning at school or with friends, per se, but it may affect their happiness or their self-perception, the way they feel about themselves on a daily basis.
Dr. Zendegui mentioned that a person should seek professional help even if they don’t need it. A person does not have to be in crisis in order to want to speak with a therapist. If they feel like a professional could help them feel better and be more successful in their life, then they should start to see one.
Anxiety Disorders are no joke. Dr. Guidera stated that if you think you may have an anxiety disorder, “the best first step is to tell a trusted friend or family member. Then seek a licensed professional to discuss treatment options.” Symptoms have typically been known to improve within four to six months of treatment.
If you know someone with an Anxiety Disorder, try to be as understanding as possible, as COVID-19 had an impact on all of us. Everyone can relate to the stress and anxiety that the quarantine caused on some level. The pandemic may be considered “over,” but it doesn’t mean it won’t continue to have long-standing impacts on us. An increase in anxiety could mean something different for everyone; some individuals were more deeply affected than others, and in different ways.
The pandemic may be considered “over,” but it doesn’t mean it won’t continue to have long-standing impacts on us.