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Teens Who Don’t Go to School

Henry Berman

Studies show that middle-school students who fail to attend school regularly are at risk for not graduating from high school. Of those who miss an average of one day a week, only 17% will graduate. This, in turn, has serious consequences that last a lifetime. School absence has generally been seen as a “school” problem, to be worked on by educators, school counselors, etc. What is not generally recognized is the extent to which the underlying cause of school absence is very often clinical-primarily anxiety disorders. This study describes the medical symptoms secondary to anxiety and the standard approach for evaluating the patient. It then proposes a way to identify when the underlying cause of the symptoms is likely anxiety. The earlier the cause can be identified and treated, the more likely it is for the teen to return to school.