Differences between anxiety and depression

Harvard Professor and Psychiatrist Kenneth Duckworth, MD, explains for parents the differences between anxiety and depression in children
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Differences between anxiety and depression

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Anxiety is a good example of something everybody uses well in moderation. Anxiety is motivating for people to do your homework, to stay on a schedule. Too much anxiety of course can become disabling. Anxiety disorders are found relatively commonly in children, and they express themselves as seperation anxiety, school phobia, kind of a panicky response to new stimuli. Some of those children have had traumatic experiences, have been exposed to unfortunate or extreme experiences. But some of them may just be biologically wired differently to express more anxiety. What´s pleasing about this area of the field is that there is well developed evidence based practices: cognitive behavior therapy. And I would mention aerobic exercise, which is not often employed enough as a treatment. Basically what aerobic exercise does is it down regulates a person´s body so they feel less anxious. Cognitive behavior therapy reminds you in fact that school is a place where you actually do well and have people like you and that your fear are exaggerated. So that would be an example of like an approach to the problem that could involve several different mechanisms.

Harvard Professor and Psychiatrist Kenneth Duckworth, MD, explains for parents the differences between anxiety and depression in children

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Kenneth Duckworth, MD

Psychiatrist, Harvard Professor & Medical Director for NAMI

Ken Duckworth, MD, serves as the medical director for NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. He is triple board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Adult, Child and Adolescent, and Forensic Psychiatry and has extensive experience in the public health arena.

Dr. Duckworth is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor at Harvard University Medical School, and has served as a board member of the American Association of Community Psychiatrists. Dr. Duckworth has held clinical and leadership positions in community mental health, school psychiatry and now also works as Associate Medical Director for Behavioral Health at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

Prior to joining NAMI in 2003, Dr. Duckworth served as Acting Commissioner of Mental Health and the Medical Director for Department of Mental Health of Massachusetts, as a psychiatrist on a Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) team, and Medical Director of the Massachusetts Mental Health Center.

Dr. Duckworth attended the University of Michigan where he graduated with honors and Temple University School of Medicine where he was named to the medical honor society, AOA. While at Temple, he won awards for his work in psychiatry and neurology. He also has a family member living with mental illness.

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Transcription: 
Anxiety is a good example of something everybody uses well in moderation. Anxiety is motivating for people to do your homework, to stay on a schedule. Too much anxiety of course can become disabling. Anxiety disorders are found relatively commonly in children, and they express themselves as seperation anxiety, school phobia, kind of a panicky response to new stimuli. Some of those children have had traumatic experiences, have been exposed to unfortunate or extreme experiences. But some of them may just be biologically wired differently to express more anxiety. What´s pleasing about this area of the field is that there is well developed evidence based practices: cognitive behavior therapy. And I would mention aerobic exercise, which is not often employed enough as a treatment. Basically what aerobic exercise does is it down regulates a person´s body so they feel less anxious. Cognitive behavior therapy reminds you in fact that school is a place where you actually do well and have people like you and that your fear are exaggerated. So that would be an example of like an approach to the problem that could involve several different mechanisms.