Young people from Montgomery County and around the country who are struggling with anxiety are finding solace in online meditation apps, writes Courtenay Harris Bond for Philly.com.

Fourteen-year-old Noa Spanier, who will soon be a freshman at Lower Merion High School, is a dancer, painter, and a viola player. However, she constantly grapples with anxiety and panic attacks from her struggle with celiac disease.

Spanier is one of a staggering number of children who deal with anxiety and depression every day.

In fact, more than 25 percent of children between 13 and 18 years are suffering from some form of anxiety disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

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But now she uses the meditation app Calm to help her achieve mental equilibrium. It gives Noa an easy way to escape from reality and relax her mind.

“Using apps for mental-health purposes is certainly a viable option,” said Matthew Wintersteen, associate professor of psychiatry at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. “I would equate it to a modern version of self-help books.”

Read more about the Calm app at Philly.com by clicking here.

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Top photo credit: DaveCowieMT DSC_8528-Edit-2 via photopin (license)