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Kids and
Anxiety
Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder in the U.S
affecting nearly one third of both adolescents and adults. It
routinely occurs along with depression, and is easy to overlook
because everyone has some degree of anxiety. Anxiety, like
depression, is treatable.
DIAGNOSIS OF ANXIETY
According to statistics, approximately 3 of children ages 3-17
have anxiety. In 2017, statistics from the National Institute of
Mental Health, indicated that the number of youths ages 13-1
with anxiety had increased to .
Many children have fears and worries, and that is not unusual.
However, when children do not outgrow these issues, or when
there are so many fears and worries that they interfere with
school, home, or play activities, the child may be diagnosed
with an anxiety disorder. Examples of different types of anxiety
disorders include:
• Being very afraid when away from parents (separation anxiety.)
• Having extreme fear about a specic thing or situation, such
as dogs, insects, or going to the doctor (phobias.)
• Being very afraid of school and other places where there
are people (social anxiety.)
• Being very worried about the future and about bad things
happening (general anxiety.)
• Having repeated episodes of sudden, unexpected, intense fear
that come with symptoms like heart pounding, having trouble
breathing, or feeling dizzy, shaky, or sweaty (panic disorder.)
Anxiety may present as fear or worry, but can also make children
irritable and angry. Symptoms of anxiety can also include trouble
sleeping, as well as physical symptoms like fatigue, headaches,
or stomach aches. Some anxious children keep their worries to
themselves, and thus, the symptoms can be missed.
As parents, we don’t always know how our child feels, but we
can look for behavioral and emotional clues. Anxiety is usually
manifested in one of three ways: cognitive characteristics,
behavioral characteristics, or physiological characteristics. Below
are some signs to look out for that may indicate a child is feeling
worried or anxious:
Being healthy is important for all children, and can be especially
important for children with anxiety. In addition to getting the right
treatment, leading a healthy lifestyle can play a role in managing
symptoms of depression or anxiety. Here are some ideas that
may help:
• Eating a healthy diet centered on fruits, vegetables, whole
grains, legumes (for example, beans, peas, and lentils), lean
protein sources, nuts and seeds.
• Physical exercise for at least 60 minutes each day.
• etting the recommended amount of sleep each night
based on age.
• Practicing mindfulness or relaxation techniques.
• Teach students techniques to reduce anxiety, such as use of
self-monitoring techniques (what do I need to do rst; how
much time should I spend on this; how much time is left,
don’t rush, use time wisely; using positive self-talk.)
• Reassure your child that you will be proud of him/her, no
matter what. Do not threaten children with punishment or
consequences if they do not perform well, this will only
increase their anxiety.
• For testing, remind students to use test-taking strategies
such as listening to the directions carefully and rereading
them as needed; skipping difcult questions and coming
back to them at the end; underlining key words or terms;
taking their best guess on multiple-choice items if they are
not sure of the answer; and using leftover time to go back
and check all answers.
• Limit smartphone usage, as this has been shown to increase
anxiety in our children, such as when they see things peers
are doing, or when they aren’t invited to an event or activity.
• Encourage your child to participate in face-to-face interaction
with peers (clubs, youth group, sports, etc.)
• Most importantly, if you think your child has anxiety, please
seek mental health support from a professional.
WORDS:
Manatee County School Social Workers & Psychologists