Trusted team Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Parents know their own children best. But if an infant becomes seriously ill or is born too early, families can trust Sanford Children’s NICU team to know best.

For families, the NICU is a place of care, hope and healing.

For our board-certified physicians, neonatal nurse practitioners, physician assistants and nursing experts, it’s a place of science, technology and research.

As the most comprehensive NICU in the region, we bring intensive care near, so families can stay close. So infants have access to the most compassionate care and advanced treatments. And so families can get back to what matters most – life.

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story by | dawn hoffner

We’ve all experienced it. Maybe it was brought on by thoughts of a big exam we needed to do well on; maybe it was getting on an airplane; a dreaded upcoming dental appointment; or even something wonderful like starting a new job or a wedding.

What all people experience at some point, including our children, is an emotion called anxiety.

what is anxiety?

Anxiety is a multisystem response to a perceived threat or danger. This means there does not have to be a real threat or danger, just the perception. And perception is in the eyes of the beholder. It can range from a feeling of unease at its mildest, to a full blown panic attack at the most severe end of the spectrum.

Some have referred to it as “a pit in my stomach.” A feeling of worry or nervousness, anxiety can be brought about by an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Feelings of apprehension are often associated with anxiety. And while anxiety usually gives people the desire to take action and do something, excessive anxiety can be paralyzing.

Anxiety is a state that has physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioral components. And anxiety is considered to be a normal reaction to a stressor, because it may help a person deal with a demanding situation. However, when anxiety becomes excessive over a prolonged period of time and interferes with normal daily activities, it could be an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders can include:

• Panic disorder

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder [OCD]

• Post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]

• Social phobia [or social anxiety disorder]

• Specific phobias

• Generalized anxiety disorder [GAD] how common is it?

Each anxiety disorder can have different symptoms, but all the symptoms are associated with excessive, irrational fear and dread.

While anxiety is a common emotion, prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder [GAD] in children and adolescents only ranges from 3-5% in childhood, with gender distribution usually about equal for boys and girls.

In adolescence however, there may be greater gender differences. Studies really vary, but some suggest a female-to-male ratio of 6:1, meaning significantly more girls affected than boys.

The age of onset also varies, but GAD is more common in older children and adolescents than in young children.