Anxiety

Definition

We all get worried. There are developmental moments when worry is more pronounced – i.e.: in the 5 to 6 year old who is beginning to understand that people are fragile and can die (often centered around aliens, catastrophic events, monsters, etc). But, people with anxiety disorders are unable to move past the thought pattern.

Generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, selective mutism, and specific phobias can present with these actions:

Return to tearful, clinginess – bursting into tears (older child)
Difficulty falling asleep
“Bad dreams” that the child wakes up from that linger
Stomach aches
Throwing up
Angry outbursts – feeling out of control during this
Avoiding activities
Can’t concentrate
Feeling tense, fidgety
Tenseness and fidgetiness
Mutism when feeling overwhelmed
Jittery, shaken, clammy hands, racing heart
Flight or flight takes off and logic leaves the child’s mind.

Often cognitive behavioral therapy is helpful. Parents can learn how to support children with anxieties and scientifically this proves most effective.

Note: in a church class setting, it is best to ask the caregivers what are they doing to support their child.

Anxieties are a common pairing with ADHD and Autism.

Blogs and Journal Articles

What to Do (and Not Do) When Children Are Anxious

Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescence

How Can I Help my Child Manage Anxiety?

Phobias in Children

How to Help a Child with Anxiety

OK, so you’ve got a kid with anxiety. They might struggle to go to school, or they’re shy, or maybe they’re dealing with stomach aches or headaches or other physical signs of anxiety. Maybe they throw a fit when it’s time to go to bed or they cry and cling to you when it’s time to leave. It’s not your fault, but there is something you can do about it.

Research shows that intervening with parents is more helpful than intervening with kids. There are literally hundreds of opportunities a week for you to show your kids how to manage anxiety.

Introduction to anxiety and anxiety child anxiety disorders

This brief video-lecture presents an overview of anxiety including the cognitive, behavioral, emotional and behavioral aspects of the anxious response. The anxiety disorders commonly manifested in children and adolescents are described and epidemiological data about their prevalence is discussed.

What Is an Eating Phobia? | Child Psychology

Eating phobias in children are very unique. There’s a common misconception to consider an eating phobia to be an eating disorder and this is not the case. A eating phobia actually is a form of anxiety. In these instances children have a food aversion in which the smell, or odor, or texture, or even color of a certain food makes them very reluctant to eat it or to try it. In the other instance a child may have an extreme fear of choking or not being able to swallow a type of food. Or worried that once they swallow it they may regurgitate or vomit. In these instances of course it worries parents greatly, because children have a very select amount of foods that they will actually eat. It requires behavior therapies and interventions to gradually introduce the child to different foods and help them overcome their fears related to it. It’s important to remember that eating phobias are anxiety and not an eating disorder. However, if left untreated the risk factors of turning into an eating disorder are great. Behavioral interventions are extremely helpful in treating this type of phobia. These are some of the basic factors related to an eating phobia.