ASK THE EXPERTS

PSYCHOLOGY EXPERT

Rachel Kelly is a mental health campaigner and author of Singing In The Rain: 52 Practical Steps to Happiness (rachel-kelly.net).

Q I’m worried about the long-term consequences of lockdown on my niece. She’s 13 and showing signs of severe anxiety. What could help her?

A Typically, when a teenager is anxious, they tend to:

• Produce more adrenaline

• Feel more alert

• Focus on the threat and stop thinking about other things

• Breathe more quickly, to get more oxygen to their muscles so they can run faster. Afterwards they usually calm down and feel better.

The mental health condition of severe anxiety is different. It is feeling these stressful, panicky feelings much of the time. If this is the case for your niece, she needs to see a GP in the first instance. She will probably be treated with counselling, and possibly medication but this is unlikely for one so young. One answer to these feelings is exposure therapy. This