These Two Hong Kong-based Psychologists Are Raising Awareness of the Childhood Anxiety Exacerbated by the Pandemic
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Dr Melissa Giglio and Daisy Geddes, authors of Bravery Grows
Psychologists Dr Melissa Giglio and Daisy Geddes are raising awareness of selective mutism and childhood anxiety and finding ways to address it with their debut children’s book Bravery Grows
“Incidences of anxiety disorders have been rising steadily since 2000; however, research is now showing that rates of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents have doubled since the pandemic,” says clinical psychologist Dr Melissa Giglio, who practises at Central Health Southside in Hong Kong. “Cases of selective mutism have always been high, even though little is known about it; however, we have noticed an increase in referrals likely related to the inconsistency of school.”
Selective mutism is not new. The anxiety-based disorder, which appears in early childhood and manifests in children withdrawing and being unable to speak in certain social s
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