Helping patients deal with school shooter anxiety
- September 18, 2019
- The REACH Institute
- Anxiety, Child mental health Cognitive behavioral therapy,
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 92% of public schools had formal active shooter plans in 2016, and 96% conducted lockdown drills. These measures are intended to keep children safe, but they may do as much harm as good. The title of a September 4 New York Times article sums it up: “When Active Shooter Drills Scare the Children They Hope to Protect.” We asked REACH faculty member Jasmine Reese, MD, MPH, about how students react to active shooter drills and what pediatric primary care providers (PCPs) can do. Dr. Reese is Director of the Adolescent and Young Adult Specialty Clinic at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. “We have yet to see data on whether these drills are causing more anxiety and other mental health issues among students,” said Dr. Reese. “But it seems clear in practice that they can either cause anxiety and depression or exacerbate existing issues.”
Categories
- ADHD
- Anti-racism
- Anxiety
- Assessment & screening
- Autism
- Child mental health
- Coding
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- College transition
- Culturally responsive
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Foster care
- Grief
- High-risk children & youth
- LGBTQIA
- Medication
- Parents
- Patient communication
- Pediatric primary care
- School refusal
- Sleep disorders
- Suicide
- Trauma
- Show All Categories
Dates
Register for courses
“Every pediatric and family practice resident should be required to take this course! I will take away a renewed appreciation for assessment tools, a new comfort with treatment plans, and an excitement for future partnerships”