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October 5, 2026
Learn how anxiety and depression can appear in children and teenagers—and how educators, healthcare professionals and other trusted adults can notice changes, ask questions and connect young people with help.
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Editor’s note: This blog discusses depression, self-harm and suicide. Anyone in the United States who is experiencing emotional distress or a suicidal crisis can call or text 988 or chat at https://988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Support is free and available 24/7. Educators and school staff should also follow their school or district’s mental health and crisis-response procedures when they are concerned about a student’s immediate safety.
For children and teenagers, growing up has always involved some amount of stress. A difficult test, a friendship falling apart, a disappointing grade or the uncertainty of fitting in can produce worry, sadness and frustration. Those feelings are a normal part of development.
But there is a difference between feeling anxious or having a bad day and living with an anxiety disorder or experiencing depression. For millions of young people, those differences are affecting how they learn, socialize and move through the world.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 33 percent of U.S. high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, while 14 percent seriously considered attempting suicide. Both measures improved meaningfully from 2023, when the rates were 40 percent and 20 percent, respectively. Still, persistent sadness or hopelessness remains more common than it was a decade ago, underscoring the continued need to recognize and address mental health challenges among young people.
For the adults who encounter young people every day—teachers, school staff, healthcare professionals, librarians, coaches, public employees and others—the challenge is knowing what to look for and what to do next.
The goal is not to turn every adult into a therapist, but to make sure a struggling child doesn’t go unnoticed.
Adults should pay attention when emotional or behavioral changes are persistent, out of character and significant enough to interfere with a young person’s schoolwork, relationships, sleep or everyday life.
Anxiety is more than worry. Anxiety is part of the body’s normal response to stress or perceived danger. Before an exam, competition or unfamiliar experience, some anxiety can even be useful: It makes us alert and prepares us to respond.
An anxiety disorder is different. Worry or fear becomes persistent, difficult to control and significant enough to interfere with school, relationships, sleep or everyday activities.
Children and teenagers may worry intensely about grades, friendships, family, their health, making mistakes or disappointing people around them. Some become perfectionists, while others begin avoiding the very situations that make them anxious—refusing to participate in class, repeatedly visiting the nurse, missing school or withdrawing from activities they previously enjoyed.
And anxiety does not always look anxious. Particularly in younger children, it can appear as:
A student who repeatedly says “I don't feel well” before math class may have a stomach problem. They may also be experiencing anxiety about school. The answer is not to assume one or the other, but to notice the pattern and investigate it.
Adults often associate depression with visible sadness. That is part of the picture, but especially in children and adolescents, depression may present as irritability, anger, withdrawal or a noticeable change in behavior.
No single symptom automatically means a student has depression. What matters is change, persistence and impact.
A teenager who suddenly stops turning in assignments may not have become lazy. A normally social student who starts eating lunch alone may not simply want privacy. A child who seems angry all the time may be struggling to express sadness.
Signs of depression can include:
No single symptom automatically means a student has depression. What matters is change, persistence and impact. Is this behavior different from the child’s usual behavior? Has it continued for days or weeks rather than a difficult afternoon? Is it interfering with school, friendships, family life or basic functioning?
Those questions can help adults distinguish a passing emotional response from something that warrants further attention.
Why are kids and teens particularly vulnerable? Childhood and adolescence are periods of extraordinary change. The brain and body are developing rapidly while young people simultaneously navigate academic expectations, relationships, family dynamics, identity and increasing independence.
Adolescence also involves major physical, cognitive and social development that changes how young people experience emotions, make decisions and interact with the people around them.
Today’s students are also growing up amid pressures that extend beyond the classroom: social media, bullying, economic instability, family stress, community violence, discrimination, climate-related disasters and other sources of uncertainty can all shape mental well-being.
There is rarely a single explanation for a child’s anxiety or depression. Genetics, biology, environment, relationships and life experiences can all contribute. That is also why adults should be cautious about assigning a simple cause to a student’s distress.
What we do know is that supportive relationships matter.
CDC research has consistently found that school connectedness—the feeling that adults and peers at school care about a student and their learning—is associated with better mental health and lower levels of suicide risk.
That makes connection more than a nice feature of a healthy school. It is a protective factor.
Educators are often among the first adults outside a family to recognize that something has changed.
You do not need to diagnose the student. Instead, notice, ask and connect.
If a typically engaged student begins withdrawing, missing class or struggling academically, check in privately. Start with what you have observed rather than an assumption about what it means: “I’ve noticed you haven’t seemed like yourself lately. How are you doing?”
Listen without immediately trying to fix the problem. Take what a student tells you seriously, even when the situation might seem manageable from an adult perspective.
Know your school’s referral process before you need it. Teachers and staff should understand how to reach school counselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses or other designated mental health professionals and how to escalate urgent safety concerns.
Schools can also build protection upstream by creating predictable classrooms, addressing bullying, helping students develop meaningful relationships with adults and peers, and ensuring that seeking help is treated as a normal part of taking care of one’s health.
A small interaction cannot cure depression or an anxiety disorder, but a student remembering that an adult noticed them can matter enormously.
Pediatric and primary care settings provide another critical opportunity for early identification—particularly because a young person may seek care for headaches, fatigue, stomach problems or sleep difficulties without initially identifying anxiety or depression as the underlying concern.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations call for anxiety screening among children and adolescents ages 8-18 and depression screening among adolescents ages 12-18.
Screening, however, is only useful when it can lead to appropriate assessment, follow-up and treatment.
Clinicians can create space to speak with adolescents privately, ask directly about emotional well-being and establish referral relationships with mental health professionals. Pediatricians should also remain alert to the fact that symptoms may appear first as physical complaints or changes reported by families or schools.
The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends universal suicide-risk screening beginning at age 12 in clinical settings, and screening younger children ages 8-11 when clinically indicated.
Not every young person struggling with mental health will first disclose it to a teacher, parent or doctor. Instead, it may be a coach, librarian, after-school employee, parks and recreation worker, first responder or another trusted adult who notices that something is wrong.
You do not need to diagnose the student. Instead, notice, ask and connect.
The same principle applies: You do not have to diagnose a child to take them seriously.
Know the resources available in your organization and community. If a young person describes persistent anxiety, hopelessness, depression or difficulty functioning, connect them with an appropriate adult or mental health resource rather than trying to manage the problem alone.
And whenever possible, create environments where young people feel they belong.
Knowing their names, checking in when they disappear, treating them with respect and offering consistent support may seem small. For a child who feels isolated, those actions are not small.
How do you know if it is an emergency? Some warning signs of suicide risk require immediate action.
Statements about wanting to die, feeling that there is no reason to live, being a burden to others or feeling trapped should always be taken seriously. Other warning signs can include severe emotional distress, withdrawing suddenly from friends and family, giving away important possessions or significant changes in behavior.
Adults should follow their school, workplace or clinical safety procedures and not leave a young person alone when there is an immediate safety concern. In an emergency or when there is imminent danger, contact emergency services. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is also available by calling or texting 988 or chat for crisis support in the U.S.
Asking about suicide does not mean diagnosing someone. It means recognizing when a situation has moved beyond ordinary worry or sadness and requires immediate professional attention.
Anxiety and depression are treatable. Early recognition can help young people access support before symptoms become more disruptive to their education, relationships and health.
But recognition begins with adults—like a teacher noticing that a student’s personality has changed or a physician asking one more question about recurring stomachaches—paying attention.
None of these adults has to solve the entire problem.
Sometimes the most important first step is much simpler: Notice the change. Ask the question. Listen to the answer. And help connect that young person to someone who can help.
Explore Share My Lesson’s student mental health resources, this lesson on youth suicide prevention, and watch the related Vital Lessons conversation for more guidance on recognizing concerns and connecting young people with appropriate support:
Join Dr. Vin Gupta—pulmonologist, public health expert, and professor—for a yearlong series offering expert-led webinars, blogs, resources, and Q&A sessions on pressing health issues to help AFT members and communities stay informed and healthy. Access all on-demand town halls and register for the next one.
As we navigate the complexities of today's world, it is crucial to prioritize mental health in order to foster resilience, empathy, and emotional intelligence among our children. The resources included in this collection address various topics, such as stress management, self-esteem building, mental health coping mechanisms and professional learning webinars.
