Central Florida doctor discusses rise in childhood anxiety
A study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association found a 300% relative rise in primary care physician visits related to anxiety within 10 years
MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES CAN AFFECT ANYONE AT ANY AGE, AND A NEW STUDY SHOWS THAT MORE PARENTS ARE BRINGING THEIR CHILDREN TO THE PEDIATRICIAN BECAUSE OF ANXIETY CONCERNS. AND JOINING ME THIS MORNING WITH MORE ON WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW IS ORLANDO HEALTH PEDIATRICIAN DOCTOR KAPOOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT TOPIC. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS. YOU JUST KIND OF WENT THROUGH THIS NEW STUDY. A LOT OF RESEARCH SHOWING HERE THAT THERE’S INCREASE FOR KIDS WITH ANXIETY. SO TAKE US THROUGH THIS. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO OUR CHILDREN? YEAH. SO THE STUDY WAS FROM JAMA WHICH IS THE JOURNAL OF AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, AND LOOKED AT 1.8 MILLION CHILDREN BETWEEN 2013 TO 2024. OKAY. AND IT BASICALLY LOOKED AT, HEY, WHAT ARE THE TRENDS IN MENTAL HEALTH? SO LOOKED AT ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, ADHD, ADHD, AND IT ESSENTIALLY FOUND BETWEEN 2013 TO 2024, THERE WAS AN INCREASE FROM 1.7% TO 6.1% IN ANXIETY CONCERNS, ESPECIALLY. THAT’S BIG. IT IS BIG. SO WHY? WHAT WAS WHAT ARE THE REASONS? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? SO THE STUDY DIDN’T PARTICULARLY LOOK INTO THAT. BUT I THINK GENERALLY AS A PEDIATRICIAN, YOU KNOW, WE SEE LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA CONCERNS, YOU KNOW, BEING EXPOSED TO THINGS THAT ARE MAYBE NOT AGE APPROPRIATE OR MAYBE UPSETTING TO KIDS TO ALSO LIKE SOCIETAL PRESSURES AND SCHOOL PRESSURE, YOU KNOW, THEY SEE EVERYONE ELSE DOING IT. AND SO THEY FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE TO DO IT TOO. DOC, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS SOMETHING ESPECIALLY GOING INTO THE SUMMERTIME, IT’S JUST ROBBING KIDS OF THEIR CHILDHOOD, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? LIKE TO HAVE THAT KIND OF ANXIETY. I MEAN, KIDS, IF THEY SHOULD HAVE A TIME TO ENJOY TO BE KIDS. YEAH, I TOTALLY AGREE. SO WHAT ADVICE ARE YOU GIVING IN YOUR, YOU KNOW, IN YOUR OFFICE TO, TO, TO PARENTS AND TRY TO HELP THEIR, YOU KNOW, TAKE THESE ANXIETIES AWAY FROM THEIR CHILDREN? YEAH, I THINK THE BIGGEST ADVICE IS LIKE, BE AWARE, YOU KNOW, BE AWARE OF WHAT YOUR CHILD IS BEING EXPOSED TO. YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, CONTROL KIND OF LIKE WHAT, WHAT THEY’RE ALLOWED TO DO ON THEIR PHONES. YOU KNOW, I THINK AS A PARENT, LIKE THAT’S DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, A RESPONSIBILITY THAT YOU HAVE. AND ANOTHER THING IS LIKE AS DIFFERENT THINGS, HEADACHES, STOMACH ACHES, YOU KNOW, NOT SLEEPING WELL, IRRITABILITY OR ANGER OUTBURSTS. AND SO IF YOU KIND OF NOTICE THESE PATTERNS OR THAT YOUR CHILD’S BEHAVIOR IS CHANGING, THEN GO TO YOUR PEDIATRICIAN, YOU KNOW, AT ORLANDO HEALTH, LIKE WE’RE GREAT ABOUT SCREENING FOR MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS FROM A YOUNG AGE, BECAUSE WE DO SEE THAT IT MANIFESTS AS YOUNG AS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. OKAY, SO YOU JUST SAID TWO THINGS. SO THANK YOU FOR SHARING THE SO PARENTS, IF THEY JUST HEARD WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, IF THEY SEE ANY OF THAT HAPPENING IN THEIR HOME, THAT’S DEFINITELY A RED FLAG. AND THEN YOU JUST MENTIONED AGE IS ELEMENTARY. WHAT ARE THE AGE GROUPS YOU WOULD SAY ARE MOST IMPACTED BY THIS ANXIETY THAT YOU’RE SEEING THE MOST, LIKE, YOU KNOW, VULNERABLE POPULATION THAT WE THINK IS KIND OF THE ADOLESCENT POPULATION? IT’S KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, 11 TO 12 AND UP IS THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THE BREADTH OF WHAT WE SEE. BUT THAT’S NOT TO SAY THAT IT CAN’T HAPPEN IN YOUNGER KIDS. SO, YOU KNOW, WE ARE STILL AWARE AND ASKING QUESTIONS LIKE, HOW ARE THEY INTERACTING WITH THEIR PEERS? WELL, AND, YOU KNOW, IF PARENTS BRING UP LIKE, HEY, THEY HAD, THEY HAVE A LOT OF ABDOMINAL PAIN OR THEY’RE KIND OF COMPLAINING, YOU KNOW, THAT SCHOOL TIME IN THE MORNING, 7 TO 8 A.M. THEY’RE LIKE, OH, MY BELLY HURTS OR SOMETHING. YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE PATTERNS. ABSOLUTELY. SO WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR PARENTS BEFORE THEY SEEK HELP FROM A PROFESSIONAL? WHAT SHOULD WE BE ASKING OUR KIDS? I MEAN, WHAT SHOULD THAT CONVERSATION SOUND LIKE? I THINK HAVE AN OPEN CONVERSATION. YOU KNOW, I THINK FOR A LONG TIME, MENTAL HEALTH WAS VERY YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY TABOO. LIKE WE DIDN’T REALLY TALK ABOUT IT IN FAMILY. SO I THINK HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS FROM, FROM LIKE A YOUNG CHILD, LIKE, YOU KNOW, TELL ME WHAT’S GOING ON IN YOUR DAY. IS THERE ANY BULLYING GOING ON? THESE THINGS HAPPEN REALLY EARLY. RIGHT? RIGHT. AND I THINK TO WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, JUST LIKE WHAT KIDS ARE EXPOSED TO AND LIKE THE QUESTIONS THAT THEN COME FROM, YOU KNOW, SEEING STUFF OR HEARING THINGS THAT THEY’RE NOT USED TO HEARING AT HOME. AND THEN THAT KIND OF OPENS UP THIS WHOLE CAN OF WORMS. SO TO SAY THAT IT’S LIKE, OKAY, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THESE THINGS. RIGHT? ABSOLUTELY. AND I THINK CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION INTO YOUR TEENAGE YEARS BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES OUR TEENS, LIKE, THEY JUST HAVE A HARDER TIME OPENING UP. RIGHT. AND THAT THAT’S KIND OF, YOU KNOW, PAR FOR THE COURSE FOR THE AGE. YES, YES. BUT I THINK JUST, JUST HAVE THAT OPEN DIALOG, LIKE OVER DINNER OR JUST LIKE ON YOUR RIDE HOME, HOW WAS YOUR DAY? AND DOC, LAST QUESTION, WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES OUT THERE AVAILABLE? WHEN SHOULD WE BE REACHING OUT TO YOU AND WHERE CAN WE GO? HONESTLY, IF YOU JUST HAVE ANY CONCERN OR SUSPICION AT ALL, JUST BRING IT UP TO YOUR PEDIATRICIAN. THAT’S WHAT OUR ANNUAL HEALTH VISITS ARE FOR. EVEN IF IT’S NOT YOUR ANNUAL VISIT, LIKE JUST, JUST MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. AND THE HEALTHYCHILDREN.ORG IS A GREAT WEBSITE FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS. AND THAT’S A GREAT RESOURCE AS WELL AND HAS GREAT TIPS. EXCELLENT. DOC, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
Central Florida doctor discusses rise in childhood anxiety
A study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association found a 300% relative rise in primary care physician visits related to anxiety within 10 years
Updated: 10:09 AM EDT May 25, 2026
A study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association between 2014 and 2023 found a stark rise in primary care physician visits related to anxiety — a 300% relative increase over 10 years.Orlando Health pediatrician, Dr. Gayathri Kapoor, joins WESH 2 to discuss the signs, symptoms and potential causes for childhood anxiety.Kapoor says social media, societal standards and peer pressure may be catalysts for anxiety in adolescents and elementary-age children. For more information about Orlando Health, click here.In addition to consulting with a primary care physician, Kapoor recommends that parents visit The American Academy of Pediatrics’ parenting website, HealthyChildren.org, for tools and resources. >> Watch the full interview in the video player above.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
A study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association between 2014-2023 found a stark rise in primary care physician visits related to anxiety — a 300% relative increase over 10 years.
Orlando Health pediatrician, Dr. Gayathri Kapoor, joins WESH 2 to discuss the signs, symptoms and potential causes for childhood anxiety.
Kapoor says social media, societal standards and peer pressure may be catalysts for anxiety in adolescents and elementary-age children.
For more information about Orlando Health, click here.
In addition to consulting with a primary care physician, Kapoor recommends that parents visit The American Academy of Parenting’s website, HealthyChildren.org, for tools and resources.
>> Watch the full interview in the video player above.