Anxiety
Feeling anxious is part of being human. The ability to feel nervous can be a good thing, as it helps us study hard for tests, practice before performing, and protects us from doing dangerous things. Studies have even shown that a little bit of anxiety improves our memory skills and improves performance. However, when it comes to anxiety, there can be too much of a good thing & large amounts of anxiety actually slows down brain activity. That’s why when people feel nervous, they talk about ‘freezing up’, and that they ‘can’t think’.
An ANXIETY DISORDER is constant worry, that disrupts daily life, that occurs more days than not for at least 6 months. Symptoms include stress that is out of proportion to the impact of the event and an inability to set aside a worry. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in the US. There are many different types of anxiety, including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, specific phobias, and more. Below is a basic description of some anxiety disorders.
Generalized Anxiety: This is a strong anxiety on most days, for at least six months, with no specific cause. People with generalized anxiety tend to worry a lot about everyday things, have a hard time relaxing, have a hard time concentrating, have headaches and stomachaches, and feel irritable.
Specific Phobias: A person with a phobia has many of the same symptoms as a person with GAD, with one big difference. People with a phobia, only fear one thing. For example, a person with claustrophobia fears small spaces and he or she may have a panic attack if forced to use an elevator.
Social Anxiety: This is an intense fear of being judged, negatively evaluated, or rejected in a social or performance situation. Children with social anxiety often avoid social or performance situations, and if the situation cannot be avoided, then they experience significant distress and anxiety.
Separation Anxiety: This is worry and fear around separation from parents, carergivers, or other people whom the child is attached to. Children may worry about people close to them dying or getting harmed. Symptoms include reluctance to leave home, sleep away from home, or go to sleep without the parent in the house.
Panic disorder: A panic disorder is diagnosed in people who experience many spontaneous panic attacks and are preoccupied with the fear of a recurring attack. A panic attack is a symptom of anxiety and is a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers a severe physical reaction. They are frightening to the person having them, and often they feel like they are having a heart attack or dying. The symptoms they experience include sped-up heart rate, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, feeling dizzy and numbness, among others.
Other issues that children with anxiety may develop include selective mutism (i.e. ongoing failure to speak in certain social situations) and obsessive compulsive disorders.
How is an anxiety disorder diagnosed?
A diagnosis of any anxiety disorder should only be made by a child psychiatrist or other mental health expert. He or she will do a mental health assessment of your child. It may include a complete emotional and social history, interviews with you and your child, and standardized testing.
TREATMENT:
In general, the two main types of treatment for anxiety disorders are the pharmaceutical approach and the psychological approach. Many people will benefit from the combination of both.
Pharmaceutical approach: Scientists still do not know why some people have anxiety disorders and others do not. However, a problem with chemicals in the brain can be one cause. That is why treating anxiety with medication is often a very effective approach.
Psychological approach: This involves working with a therapist to reduce your anxiety symptoms. Some therapist may use Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is a very effective form of psychotherapy. The theory behind CBT is that if you change the way you think about certain things, then you can change how you feel about them. CBT also involves exposure therapy, which is when a patient is exposed to her fear in a controlled situation and builds their confidence that they can manage the situation and anxiety symptoms. It should be noted that when parents are very involved in the therapeutic process of their children in therapy, then progress is made much faster. Sometimes, a parent can be the one getting the counseling for how to respond and deal with a young child’s behavior, and this can be very effective as well.
You CAN help your child!! Here are a selection of books for you to read with your child or give to your child to read on his own.
1. WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU WORRY TOO MUCH:
Guides children and parents through the cognitive-behavioral techniques most often used in the treatment of anxiety. There are clear steps to use to help your child reduce his anxiety!
2. WHAT TO DO WHEN MISTAKES MAKE YOU QUAKE:
Guides children and their parents through the emotions underlying a fear of making mistakes and is a great resource for educating, and empowering children to cope with mistakes — so they can approach new opportunities without fear!
When children feel anxious very often their bodies respond physically to a perceived threat. This book teaches children how to tap into their sense of safety when they feel anxious, so they calm themselves.
Having a child with anxiety is a great recipe for an anxious parent!! Here are books for you to read to learn the skills to help your child and also YOURSELF with anxiety.
1. BREAKING FREE OF CHILD ANXIETY AND OCD:
Parents will learn how to alleviate their children's anxiety by changing the way they themselves respond to their children's symptoms. They will learn to provide supportive responses that demonstrate their confidence in their child’s ability to cope.
2. ANXIOUS KIDS ANXIOUS PARENTS:
Using current research this books provide a concrete plan with 7 key principles that foster change and techniques to change both the children's and the parental patterns of thinking and behaving.
3. HELPING YOUR ANXIOUS CHILD:
Now in its third edition, Helping Your Anxious Child has been expanded and updated to include the latest research and techniques for managing child anxiety.
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