Parents often notice the physical symptoms first. Their child wakes up with a headache, mysterious stomach pain before school or tears at the kitchen table over homework. The anxiety underlying these symptoms is easier to miss. Adults frequently dismiss this behavior as a personality quirk, mislabeling compulsion as a harmless habit.
Yet childhood anxiety diagnoses continue to rise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11% of children between the ages of 3 and 17 had an anxiety diagnosis between 2022-2023.
Families often face barriers to receiving specialized care, allowing symptoms to worsen over time.
Neuroscience suggests fear responses are reinforced over time. When distress is reduced through compulsions, the brain believes the ritual was successful, and the next thought feels even more urgent. During childhood, when the brain is most adaptable, these loops stabilize quickly, and fear circuits become easier to trigger.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is often reduced to stereotypes about perfectionism or organization. But for many children, it involves overwhelming fears that interfere with daily life.
Through my own experiences navigating healthcare, I saw how frequently emotional suffering is missed when physical symptoms are present. Because anxiety disorders can present through physical complaints, families may begin winding searches for answers elsewhere while the root cause remains unaddressed.
Not every stressed child signals a disorder. Many need space to experience healthy stress and grow into resilient individuals. Yet, persistent and impairing anxiety is different and cannot be overlooked as a phase.
Healthcare often focuses on intervention once the behavior is ingrained, rather than during its earliest and most flexible stages. That delay in treatment matters when our bodies are actively strengthening our responses to distress.
Early action is the key. Teachers, pediatricians and parents are often the first to notice signs in a child. But they need clear tools to identify this form of stress. Routine mental health screening, timely referrals and improved access to pediatric mental health services in schools and health care settings are essential.
We must reduce the stigma surrounding anxiety and compulsive behaviors. Early intervention is not about labeling children. It is about giving them the tools, understanding and access to care they need to thrive.
Rushika Patel, undergraduate student, cognitive neuroscience and psychology, Loyola University Chicago
‘Broadview Six’ case is indictment of U.S. attorney’s office
I read with disappointment about the proceedings in U.S. District Judge April Perry’s courtroom. The level of mendacity and misconduct in the “Broadview Six” case is a stain on the Chicago U.S. attorney’s office, where I once proudly worked.
Some months ago, I attended a talk by Catherine “Cat” Sharp, one of the original defendants who had her charges dismissed before this debacle. She spoke movingly about the disastrous impact the conspiracy charges had on her life, financially and emotionally. Ultimately, she was forced to withdraw from her Cook County Board race due to the burdens of the case. To learn that she and the others endured this unnecessary pain because of prosecutorial misconduct is disheartening to say the least.
Prosecutors need to appreciate that they have power to alter people’s lives forever. The only justification for this power is to obtain justice, which did not occur here until the case was dismissed.
Susan E. Cox, Lincoln Park
Illinois fumbled again with Bears stadium bill
Typical Illinois, dysfunction at every level of government, from bloated school systems and outdated townships.
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch had years to ponder and months to decide on what to do with the Bears’ threat to leave Illinois for its rival state to the east.
After the Bears’ megaprojects stadium bill failed to do the job, an eleventh-hour last-ditch heave failed in his chamber despite bipartisan passage in the Senate. After ruling out a special summer session to bring it up before the state representatives, the Bears announced they will wait no longer.
Kicking the can down the road has long been an Illinois calling card, But this time it kicked it out of the park, never to return.
Scot Sinclair, Largo, Florida
Too many teens lack parental, familial guidance
As I read Almethia C. Franklin’s op-ed, it made me wonder how my buddies and I managed to survive the long, hot summers in Englewood without any special programs to keep us out of trouble. I guess it’s because we were expected to be good kids, and we had something called parents (emphasis on the plural) to keep us off the street.
My summers as a child in the 1950s and ’60s were spent mostly playing baseball and basketball, stopping only to come home for lunch and dinner. Some days, especially when it rained, I would walk to the Ogden Park Library because I liked to read. By the time the sun went down, I had to be home or close to it. Same thing for most of my friends. If we weren’t, our parents would come looking for us.
A big reason I never got into any serious trouble was that I grew up in a proverbial village that helped raise children, even though I didn’t realize it at the time. Back then, parents’ word was the law. If you were outside playing, all they had to do was holler your name, and it would be relayed from house to house, sometimes as far as two blocks away. Any respectable adult could reprimand you if you got out of line, and you were expected to address them as Mr., Mrs., sir and ma’am. And when word got back to your folks about any bad behavior, you had to face the mom-and-pop justice system, where the verdict was usually always the same: guilty. Penalties varied from home to home, but many of us were threatened with the death penalty if we reoffended.
Needless to say, times have changed. “Disinvestment” is today’s go-to justification to excuse antisocial behavior. But I can’t think of any “structured outlets” I had that aren’t available to young men today. What’s missing are strong, two-parent families that instill values, discipline and respect for life and property. Since too many parents have lost control of their children, other institutions — churches, schools, community organizations — are going to have to step up. If they don’t, law enforcement will have to increase their efforts to maintain civility.
When I was coming up, the old adage that “it takes a village to raise a child” was true. Today, sadly, instead of the village raising the children, the children seem to be razing the village.
Joseph H. Brown, Tampa, Florida
Expanding ER access at Northwestern Memorial Hospital
As a Streeterville and River North resident for over 30 years who drives on Erie Street daily, I regularly witness severe traffic gridlock clogging eastbound traffic from Michigan Avenue to Fairbanks Court during rush hour. This congestion causes dangerous delays for ambulances transporting critical patients to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s emergency room, where mere seconds dictate life or death.
From what I’ve seen, plans for the Streeterville hospital’s new cancer care tower indicate that the ER will remain in its current location, leaving ER access bottlenecked via Erie Street. Relying on that congested local street is a critical point of failure. A modern medical campus must provide multiple logistical pathways for emergency vehicles, using surrounding thoroughfares like Ohio Street, Chicago Avenue and Columbus Drive, while maintaining Erie Street as an additional access point.
Northwestern’s $96 million expansion project may explain officials’ reluctance to integrate a primary ER entrance into the new tower. But public safety must take precedence over corporate convenience. How many lives will be compromised? How many medical complications could be avoided? How much is a Chicago area resident’s life worth compared to the cost of reengineering a major medical development?
I expressed my concerns to Mayor Brandon Johnson and Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd), but I am hoping a Sun-Times story on the matter could force a comprehensive, independent traffic impact study before the tower project moves forward.
The city must hold Northwestern Memorial Hospital accountable to come up with a design that prioritizes public safety and efficient, multipoint emergency access.
Maz Chadid, River North
Fit for a king
Since protests against Donald Trump are designated “No Kings” demonstrations, it may be worthwhile to consider which past king the president most emulates.
I suggest King Henry VIII. Like Trump, he had disputes with the pope. He also turned against supporters when those supporters did not bow down to his every whim. (Compare the treatment of Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell to the treatment of Marjorie Taylor Greene.) Like Trump, Henry VIII had schemes to make money. Henry VIII also felt that his position gave him a pass to mistreat women. (Consider, Henry VIII’s interaction with Mary and Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour and Trump’s encounters with Stormy Daniels and E. Jean Carroll.)
The most concerning trait of Trump that mirrors Henry VIII is the desire to control the religious practices of his countrymen and countrywomen.
Henry VIII named himself supreme head of the English Church. Trump posted an image of himself as a Jesus-like figure, and last month’s “Rededicate 250″ prayer rally on the Washington Mall included video of Trump reading a passage of the Bible in the Oval Office. Instead of celebrating all faith, it was more of gathering supporting Christian nationalism.
Henry VIII must be proud.
Alan Rhine, Glenview
Trump AI order will hurt startups
President Donald Trump’s new executive order allowing the government to review advanced artificial intelligence models before they launch is being framed as a big win for national security. But to me, it looks like a massive win for Big Tech and a roadblock for everyone else.
Giant tech companies have armies of lawyers and endless budgets to handle government red tape. Smaller startups or independent developers working out of their garages don’t.
Even if these reviews are technically “voluntary,” we all know how it will play out. The massive corporations will get the government’s stamp of approval and massive head start while the little guys will be left in the dust. In tech, when startups are forced to wait while a larger competitor gets fast-tracked, they go under.
America’s economy has always thrived because the underdog had a fair shot to challenge the giants. We need to make sure our security rules don’t just protect us, but also protect the open marketplace that lets new ideas succeed. The future of AI shouldn’t belong just to the companies already at the top.
Rasheed Ahmed, Hickory Hills
DOGE dough
Now that Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” slush fund has apparently gone belly up, maybe it’s time for him to make good on his campaign promise to send every taxpayer a $5,000 Department of Government Efficiency check.
Steven Herr, West Ridge
Bad sports
I am a longtime Cubs fan. I am also a baseball fan. I want the Cubs to win. But I can appreciate the skills of players on other teams because I love the game. This is apparently not the case when it comes to the likes of the woman in white at Rate Field or those shirtless moronic oafs at Busch Stadium who pay to attend Cubs games principally to taunt Pete Crow-Armstrong — a man who is better at baseball than they will ever be at anything. What on earth motivates these people? It is clearly not for the love of baseball.
Michael Gorman, River North
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Sun-Times will publish select letters from our readers on their thoughts on America’s 250th birthday and what this milestone means to them. Submissions of no more than 375 words should be sent to letters@suntimes.com.