Anxiety in Children
Acknowledging the Anxiety in Children
Opposite to popular belief, anxiety is not a disorder only
occur in the adult population. Anxiety in children is quickly
increasing as children, do face stress in their lives.
Events of childhood can intensely affect an individualĄ¯s
entire life. It is important for every parent to identify
and acknowledge the anxiety in their children and to nip it
in the bud, before it controls their childĄ¯s personality.
Psychological Interventions
Anxiety in children should always be given priority. This
is best achieved by a trained medical professional. Individual
psychotherapy will be considered the first line of treatment
by many doctors. So, as parents, they should give the child
the confidence he needs and assure him he is not a failure.
Group psychotherapy could be good also as it reassures the
child that he is not alone and there are other children who
share the similar problems.
Along with the child victim, parents should also be given
guidance sessions which will help them continue the management
of their childrenĄ¯s anxiety at home. Often the whole family
is involved to ensure that the childĄ¯s entire environment
should be compassionate and encouraging. School based counseling
is sometimes preferred in situations where the school is the
root cause of the anxiety.
Parents and teachers must understand the emotional background
of the anxiety in children as it is important for them to
stay calm and patient. Circumstances that will potentially
trigger anxiety in children should be planned ahead to manage
the situation in the best way possible. Encouragement and
praise of the child is an important strategy to combat anxiety
in children. Special care is taken for children who developed
phobias towards school. In these cases, teachers should work
hand in hand and allow extra time for late arrival, or slow
responses to work.
Biological Interventions
The list of drugs available to treat anxiety in children
is a long list. The most common used line of drugs is the
antidepressants. However, you should remember that the results
donĄ¯t appear until after two to four weeks of drug use and
side effects should be monitored continually.
Though certain cases can only be treated with the use of
drugs, home and environment help is a fundamental part of
management and it is only when these two things go together
that, the child can be totally free from the anxiety which
is damaging his life.
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