Last updated October 13 2026

Anxiety becomes more than ordinary worry when it starts shaping daily decisions and interfering with school, work, or relationships. Dr. L. David Willison IV, MD, PhD, is a board-certified adult and child/adolescent psychiatrist in Los Angeles who evaluates and treats anxiety at every age, from young children through adults. Care begins with understanding how anxiety actually shows up for each person, then matching that pattern to a treatment plan built around their life.

How Anxiety Shows Up at Different Ages

Anxiety is part of the body’s natural response to stress. It becomes a clinical concern when it stops switching off and begins to interfere with normal functioning. Because it looks different at each stage of life, recognizing the pattern is the first step toward the right support.

Children. In younger children, anxiety often appears through behavior rather than words. Parents may notice clinginess, trouble separating at drop-off, frequent stomachaches or headaches, difficulty sleeping, or irritability that does not seem tied to a clear cause.

Teens. Anxiety in adolescents may become noticeable through social or academic worries, avoidance of school or activities, withdrawal from friends, panic symptoms, irritability, sleep problems, or difficulty concentrating. A change in grades or participation can sometimes be one sign that anxiety is interfering with daily life.

Adults. In adults, anxiety can appear as persistent worry, racing thoughts, poor sleep, difficulty concentrating, physical tension, or avoidance of situations that trigger distress. Symptoms may affect work, relationships, responsibilities, or the ability to relax.

Types of Anxiety Dr. Willison Treats

Anxiety is not a single condition. Dr. Willison evaluates and treats the full range, and more than one can be present at a time.

• Generalized anxiety disorder: persistent, hard-to-control worry across many areas of life.
• Social anxiety disorder: fear of judgment or embarrassment in social and performance situations, common in teens and adults.
• Separation anxiety disorder: excessive fear or distress about separation from an attachment figure that interferes with daily life.
• Panic disorder: sudden, intense episodes of fear with physical symptoms such as a racing heart or shortness of breath.
• Specific phobias: strong fear tied to a particular object or situation that leads to avoidance.

From Symptoms to a Treatment Plan

A clear diagnosis is what turns a set of symptoms into a workable plan. Dr. Willison starts with a thorough psychiatric evaluation: a conversation about thoughts, feelings, behavior, history, and how symptoms affect daily life. For children, parents and sometimes teachers help complete the picture. From there, the pattern points to the approach most likely to help.

Treatment depends on the type of anxiety, the patient’s age, symptom severity, and how anxiety is affecting daily life. Cognitive behavioral therapy may be used to address patterns of thought and behavior that reinforce anxiety, while exposure-based approaches can be helpful when fear and avoidance are prominent. For younger children, therapy can be adapted to their developmental level and may include caregiver involvement. Medication may also be considered when clinically appropriate as part of an individualized treatment plan.

Treatment Approaches

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): a first-line, evidence-based therapy that helps people identify and change the thoughts and behaviors that reinforce anxiety. For children, it is adapted to be more interactive and age-appropriate.
• Exposure-based work: for phobias, panic, and avoidance, gradually and safely reintroducing feared situations so they feel manageable again.
• Developmentally adapted therapy: age-appropriate activities and caregiver involvement can help younger children understand and manage anxiety.
• Family involvement: parents and caregivers learn how to support progress between sessions, which matters most with younger patients.
• Mindfulness and relaxation skills: practical tools to calm the body’s stress response and build awareness of triggers.
• Medication when appropriate: may be considered based on diagnosis, symptom severity, age, treatment history, and response to therapy.

What to Expect

Care starts with an evaluation and a plan you understand, then adjusts over time as things improve. For children, sessions are structured to feel safe and engaging, and parents are involved so strategies continue at home. Teens work on building coping skills and independence, with early sessions focused on trust. Adult sessions are individualized around specific stressors such as work, relationships, and ongoing worry.

When to Reach Out

It is worth seeking an evaluation when anxiety starts getting in the way of daily life: school refusal or frequent physical complaints in a child, withdrawal or panic symptoms or a decline in grades in a teen, or worry that interferes with work and relationships in an adult. Another clear sign is when coping strategies that used to work stop working.

Anxiety Care in Los Angeles with Dr. Willison

Dr. Willison offers structured, personalized anxiety care for patients across Los Angeles, with experience that spans childhood through adulthood. Sessions are supportive, practical, and non-judgmental, and families are included when it helps. The goal of treatment is not to erase anxiety completely but to make it manageable, predictable, and far less disruptive.

Dr. Willison welcomes patients from across the greater Los Angeles area, including Westwood, Brentwood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Century City, and West Los Angeles.