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Andrea Petersen
News Editor
The Wall Street Journal
Brooklyn, NY

TOPIC: Write a series of articles and a book on the diagnosis, cause, and treatment of anxiety disorders.

As rates for anxiety disorders rise, researchers are working to find more effective treatments. In the meantime, what can sufferers do? One woman's experience.

Last fall, 12-year-old John Morganti was a very anxious kid. He was too scared to ride the bus to school or have sleepovers at friends' houses. He had frequent stomach aches, hid out in the nurse's office and begged his mother to let him skip school.

What child hasn't dreaded September, the end of summer and the return to school? But for some kids, the prospect of school produces a level of fear so intense that it is immobilizing, resulting in what's known as school-refusal behavior.

It isn't unusual for a kid to face the new school year with some fear and trepidation. But for some youngsters, school is absolutely terrifying-and they'll do anything to miss it.

A Dose of Sibling Rivalry (link no longer available)
Every Friday night, 8-year-old Maeve Morgan Phoa gets together with three other children for dinner, movies and general kid mayhem. The purpose isn't just fun. At the "Friday Night Club," the parents created, Maeve, an only child, is forced to learn to take turns riding a coveted scooter, negotiate who gets which superpowers in make-believe games, and accept that squabbles are a natural part of life.

 
Every parent knows that a tired kid is a cranky kid. Now, scientists are discovering that children with chronic sleep problems are at increased risk for developing a mental illness later in life.