Saturday is World Mental Health Day in what has been a particularly difficult year for many Americans. 

Dr. Asha Patton-Smith, a psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente, said that the pandemic has been especially stressful for young people. 

“Social isolation and family stress has affected children and adolescents really more than any other demographic in this country,” she said on WYPR’s podcast The Daily Dose. 

Patton-Smith says anxiety and depression often manifest in physical symptoms. 

“What I get calls on is kids having headaches, there doesn’t seem to be a medical reason. Or stomach pain that just seems to be persistent,” she said. 

She urges parents to understand that anxiety and depression aren’t character flaws or a sign of weakness. She also asks that parents remember to take care of themselves.