A Resource Guide for Faculty, Teaching Assistants, Medical Practitioners, and Professional Staff
Common Problems Abusive Dating Relationships Academic or Career-Related Concerns Aggression and Potential Violence Anxiety Demanding Behavior Depression Disabilities Eating Disorders Grief Hate Crime or Hate Incidents Hazing Irrational Behavior or Inappropriate Behavior Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorder Psychiatric Disabilities Sexual Assault Sexual Harassment Stalking Substance Abuse Suicide Trauma

Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric conditions in the United States, affecting more than twenty-three million people. Anxiety disorders are grouped into twelve distinct diagnostic categories, among which are generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and phobias. Some features of anxiety that may be noted in students who are struggling with anxiety are intense tension or fear when there is no danger, feelings of losing control and a sense of doom, confusion, ruminations, excessive worry, irrational thoughts, catastrophic thinking, avoidance behavior, hypervigilance, physical agitation, and inability to sleep and eat. Students may suffer from a wide range of anxious conditions. Some may have a generalized anxiety, which can impact their ability to perform academically by affecting concentration, memory, the processing of information, the ability to recall information, and the ability to comprehend. Others may struggle with a specific type, such as performance anxiety, that can affect an oral presentation, or test taking anxiety, that impacts the ability to perform on a test. Research suggests that when treating persons with high levels of anxiety, the most effective treatment is the combination of psychotherapy and psychotropic medication. When you encounter a student who you suspect is struggling with an anxious condition:

DO

  1. Talk to the student in private, when possible.
  2. Remain calm.
  3. Assume control over the situation in a soothing manner.
  4. Focus on the relevant information.
  5. Respectfully help the student focus on items that can be addressed.
  6. Speak in an explicit, concrete and concise manner.
  7. Assist the student in developing an action plan that addresses the most pressing concern.
  8. Refer the student to Counseling Services (893-4411).

DON’T

  1. Make solutions complicated.
  2. Overwhelm the student with information.
  3. Argue with irrational thoughts or catastrophic thinking.
  4. Crowd the student’s physical personal space.
  5. Try to solve all problems presented.
  6. Devalue the information presented.
  7. Assume the family knows about the student’s anxiety.
  8. Assume the student will get over his/her anxiety without treatment.
 
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