Many children and teens, and adults are genetically prone to anxiety disorders and some are prone to anxiety disorders due to a combination of environmental factors and stress, pressures, peers, family issues and much more. There are many types of anxiety disorders such as: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorders, Phobias, PTSD, OCD Obsessive Compulsive Disorders and more. Many children will isolate in their rooms and avoid activities due the discomfort of anxiety disorders. I have had children and teens and adults avoid : work, prom, family functions, attending great colleges and part of it is due to anxiety disorders. Many children and teen adolescents may also have negative thinking that feeds the anxiety and can feed a depressed mood. I can not tell you how many amazing people come into my office with an infinite list of talents and strengths and still believe they are not capable or not able or not valuable or not loved. The child creates these thoughts many times on their own and it has nothing to do with environment although it could be the case in some situations. I have incredible adults that excel in their professions be it : Medicine, Law, Engineering, Sales, Real Estate, CEO’s and they as adults have a negative pattern of thought daily with no real reason to think or feel this way. They are full of tremendous talent. One of the skills learned for this is CBT Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and It has been used for Decades with evidence based results. This is just one skill that can be learned in my office and there are many more that are extremely helpful. It is important to have more than one approach because each person is unique and will respond in different manner to each modality used.
Teens are taught to keep in their emotions and boys are told not to cry. Stuffing emotions is extremely unhealthy and must be worked on and processed to create best outcomes.
Many children report high levels of anxiety at school. Children as young as five self harm due to anxiety and stress related to school and academics. Many children do not know how to express their feelings and emotions end up turning into aggression, sadness, anger, tantrums, crying etc. It is vital to teach children to express emotions at a young age before it oozes into an imbalance.
There are many factors that can contribute to anxiety or anxiety disorders: obsessive compulsive disorders, Panic disorders, social anxiety, Phobias, general anxiety, Panic attacks, PTSD Post traumatic stress disorders and more.
It is important to look at many elements in an individuals life: medications, factors during inception and birth, environmental factors, Drugs, marijuana, alcohol, Stressors, Trauma from the past ( emotional, physical, mental), sleep, diet, daily habits, negative cognitions daily, genetics in the family from Mom and Dad as well as other family members and their traumas as well.
Many practitioners give meds without addressing the root causes of the anxiety. It is important to look at all the above and more in order to create the best plan to reduce anxiety. I have worked with anxiety disorders for over 15 years and have seen a combination of many elements that exacerbate anxiety disorders. It is vital to look at all the above areas in order to really manage your child’s anxiety or your anxiety as best as possible. Not looking at sleep for example and treating the disorder without a change in sleep will most likely not be very successful since sleep is an important element in mood disorders.
Brain experts believe a diet that is heavy in inflammation food consumption and low in healthy fats affects the risk of obtaining anxiety or anxiety disorders. Anxiety is extremely high in those with high sensitivity to gluten.
Medication is used to treat ADHD , however, research shows that it also leads to anxiety disorders, as well as other symptoms including but not limited to addiction.
There are many tools an anxiety client can learn in order to manage an anxiety disorder be it panic attacks, phobias, generalized anxiety, PTSD, etc.
Some of the research based tools in counseling psychology to manage anxiety are: EMDR, DBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Progressive Relaxation, VMBR, Exposure therapy, and mindfulness.
Child anxiety is stressful and painful for families. Activities that once were enjoyable are avoided and parents hear complaints of stomach problems, and various aches and pains, headaches and more. Learning ways to cope with anxiety is important. It is a fine balancing act however avoiding school and avoiding sleeping alone and avoiding new things is not creating a balance for your child or teenager. Forcing a child may be overwhelming and can be a failed approach as well. It is important that parents understand that anxiety can be debilitating and your child may no be manipulating and may not be lazy.
Many children that have behavioral issues like oppositional defiance or conduct disorders also have underlying anxiety that they do not know how to handle or identify. Learning skills to manage anxiety is vital to you child’s success socially as well as academically and behaviorally and emotionally. Most children can not articulate what is going on inside their bodies and minds. They must learn skills and tools to address their anxiety.
Kevin Love an NBA All Star and NBA record holder for Rebounds who now plays on the Cleveland Cavaliers came out to talk about anxiety, panic attacks and mental health. He states he never spoke about mental health issues because he was ashamed about it , however, he states that everyone has challenges and pain this is true. We all have struggles and highs and lows and life is filled with change and loss and it is healthy to learn how to cope with challenges . It is unhealthy to suppress, repress, stuff, avoid, and deny our emotions and pain an bury them in : video games, food, drugs, alcohol, work etc. This is where unhealthy habits are formed. Healthy emotions are dealing with emotions each day.
Kevin Love talked about his panic attacks and how it impacted him in a negative way. There are many times of anxiety: social anxiety, generalized anxiety, performance anxiety, separation anxiety, PTSD ( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and more. The great news is there many skills that can be learned to manage anxiety and live a happy, calm, and peaceful life as well as meet goals you desire to achieve.
Approximately one in five university or college students has been diagnosed or treated with anxiety within the last twelve months. Many more are unaccounted for because they do not seek treatment or are improperly diagnosed, so the results could be even higher. Anxiety does not produce the same symptoms in all people. Some people actually experience anxiety attacks, including a feeling of panic, sweating, a rapid heart rate, and a sense of breathlessness. Many others may not have such overt symptoms. Many college students will likely to turn to behaviors that numb their thoughts — sexual activity, marijuana, weed, ganga, alcohol, drugs, sleeping all the time, or other habits which may affect their performance in school.
There’s an obvious stigma when it comes to men and mental health. In our culture expressing feelings is considered un-man like and “being a man” is connected with being tough, it’s challenging for men to come forward and reveal they have a mental health condition like anxiety or depression and this is tragic.
There a number of anxiety reduction and management techniques that can be used for college students including: talk therapy and counseling, CBT skills, DBT skills, Exposure therapy, and more. Boys and men must be told it is ok to talk about their feelings: fears, anger, sadness and pain. This is the only way to begin the healing process.
Teens and Children
Many parents are beyond frustrated when their child refuses to go to school. Seeking help is important if this behavior of avoidance and defiance goes on for more than a day or so. One key for parents is not get into a power struggle or a negotiation with your child. A power struggle will only reinforce the undesired behaviors regarding school. Finding the heart of the issue is important. Is it academic struggles, is it bullying is it anxiety?
Anxiety in children in Arizona and the United States is one of the most common mental health disorders treated. However when children can not attend school, go to social activities, avoid interactions with people it now becomes an issue that needs to be addressed by a professional. Children may receive extra attention due to their fears from parents and this is due to the protective nature of parents,however, at some point it paralyzes the child and is not helpful anymore.
Parents that reassure their children when an anxious event arises may also be giving the message that their is real danger at school or at the grocery store and this reinforces avoidance behaviors from the child. Also allowing children to avoid events, school, “scary ” interactions will reinforce avoidance behaviors and this will not help your child’s anxiety it will get worse most likely.
Giving your children positive attention and rewards and praise when they do something brave can help your children tremendously. Praising your child, telling them you are proud of them , giving them a high five, smiling and more are huge behaviors parents can use to change anxious behaviors.
First give your child incentives for attending school. What will motivate your child? We all are motivated by something? It can be an activity with mom, it can be going for an ice cream, it can be extra time above and beyond regular bed time. It is always best to use rewards before moving into a consequence modality.
Let your child know that if he or she refuses to attend school they will not be able to : play video games, watch, Tv, watch netflix, and that they will have to sit at a desk and do homework. Also let them know if they stay home they will be given chores to do around the home. Obviously if your child is physically ill he would need to go see a Physician.
There a number of anxiety reduction and management techniques that can be used for your child including: talk therapy and counseling, CBT skills, DBT skills, Exposure therapy, play, and more. Lifeworks AZ has a lot of experience treating children with anxiety. Please see testimonials from parents at lifeworksaz.com.
Some children can manifest itself in different ways. One way might be to avoid situations that are uncomfortable. Another way might be to escape the situation and this can be seen or perceived as oppositional or defiant when it is really fear based. Behavioral dysregulation is common with children and teens that have anxiety disorders: panic attacks, phobia, social anxiety, PTSD, Post traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorders , obsessive compulsive disorder and other anxiety disorders.
Children that display temper tantrums, behavioral problems at school, throw things at school, throw themselves down and cry and have full blown outburst may have a profound anxiety disorder however this needs to be assessed by a professional. Anxiety disorders need to be assessed and treated by a professional in mental health care.
Academic pressure and demands in the classroom can trigger anxiety and this will look like disruptive behaviors. The child may feel overwhelmed and anxious and not be able to cope with the teachers request or the assignment. The child might be intelligent however he or she may have a learning challenge or trouble with the task and feel overwhelmed hence unable to do the task and act out behaviorally.
Most teachers are not trained in identifying anxiety disorders and a child or teenager typically will end up in suspension or in the Principals office being punished. This does not address the underlying issue that may be an anxiety disorder.
A child that is diagnosed with ADHD may have an anxiety disorder instead that looks like: impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattention however this needs to be evaluated by a professional. A lot of times individuals jump to ADHD diagnosis when really the child or teen is suffering with an anxiety disorder. An anxiety disorder may be primary and for example ADHD is secondary or it may be the other way around. There are a number of other diagnosis as well that may be co-occuring with a child or teens anxiety.
Many adolescent teens are feeling worthless, unhappy, inability to focus or concentrate.
Teens are reporting more problems sleeping and are not receiving adequate sleep.
Children and teens are slow to talk about their distress to parents and parents tend to be slow to respond once finding out their child or teen is suffering.
Parents are not to blame for a child’s mental health issues. Children can have excellent parenting and still suffer from mental health issues.
In colleges and universities throughout the United States the following research was done and this was the mental health results :
The American College Health Association surveyed 100,000 college students at 53 US campuses and found that 84 per cent of US students feel unable to cope, 79 per cent are exhausted, 60 per cent feel very sad and more than half are experiencing overwhelming anxiety.
Obviously teens and college students need to learn coping and stress management tools to address : school, peers, family, work, grades, social situations and much more.
Many teenagers and adolescents as well as college students fear failure and are fearful of their future and need a direction and support to reach their goals. Children as young as 10 are worried about finding a job in many homes and are stressed and anxious.
Cyberbullying and social media can be a stressor and many teens are concerned about their body image with such a huge emphasis on waif models being the norm when most adults know this is not reality. Technology does not create the bully or the poor body image it may magnify the problem. Removing all media may not solve the issue because it is the negative distorted and unhealthy thoughts inside your child or adolescents head that is feeding the negative behaviors and mood. Media can affect our moods however it is up to parents and children and teens to set limits on use and be able to turn it off and find a balance in other activities above and beyond social media and or video games and technology.
I have worked with children, teens and families over fifteen years at Lifeworksaz.com and many times it is more than just one issues that a child is suffering with it could be: social, self esteem, bullying, relationship with family, and grades. All of these need to addressed so your child can find balance, happiness, and success in their life.
Children and teens have stress daily. Many children have anxiety and the real question is if your child is missing out on life’s opportunities due to one’s anxiety. Anxiety can be managed and there are many tools your child can learn to regulate stress, anxiety, as well as behaviors. There are a few causes of anxiety that we know: genetics are a big component, traumatic or upsetting events can trigger anxiety, how one was raised and past events that are impacting your child today.
One research and evidence based therapy I use that has great results is cognitive behavioral counseling or therapy. I work with each individual child and help them understand the connection between our thoughts, feelings, and our behavior that we act upon daily.Automatic unconscious thoughts that evolve can spark anxiety. Learning to become aware of unhealthy and twisted thoughts that do not have validity or truth is taught in a manner that is easy for your child to understand. As we learn to question these unhealthy thoughts we can then change them to healthy positive thoughts and overcome our anxiety.
There are two ways of looking at our thoughts. The first is to find out if our thoughts are accurate? The second way is to to see if the way we are thinking is leading us toward avoidance or toward a value system of ours. After your child learns to identify distorted thoughts he or she can learn alternative ways to help move through the anxiety and face the situation that is: scary, fearful etc.
There are a number of research based tools that I use including behavior modification, Play, Talk,Mindfulness, EMDR, exposure therapy, imagery, mindfulness and more that each child can learn and can feel safe and secure and at peace when anxiety arises. These tools can be used for: panic, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, phobias and more.
Facing your child’s fear head on is vital to help him or her feel confident and master anxiety. Learning these skills and more will help build self esteem and will free our chip up to embrace his or her life and create a happy and healthy life.