Doctors can help stressed students

As school children around Australia head back to the classroom this week, a Queensland GP is stressing the importance of supporting students with anxiety, even if it means providing a sick note to postpone exams.

Dr Rob Park says he sees a few anxious students every week in his Buderim practice on the Sunshine Coast, as well as others he works with through Headspace.

He says the condition can seriously impact their schooling, especially in relation to stress around exam time, so additional support will help them perform at the same level as those without anxiety.

"They get so uptight they can't even hand in these pieces of work. They could be losing sleep, missing class. It can be really quite severe," Dr Park tells ABC News.

"Some of my patients can't even be in the same room as other people taking exams because they're so anxious and so uptight.”

Medical certificates can help, as can extra