Did you know that anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issues faced by children? Different kinds of anxiety affect younger people at different stages. It could be phobia or separation anxiety at younger ages, social anxiety at a later stage when peer relationships are important. Nearly one in three adolescents witness some kind of anxiety disorder by the age of 18. This includes specific phobia of a thing or an event, social phobia, separation anxiety, panic disorder, and a general anxiety disorder.
Dealing with Anxiety
Many times, parents in their desire to help their anxious child exacerbate the problem. What is important is to identify the factor causing the anxiety and then dealing with it accordingly. The goal should be to help the children to face their fears or phobia and manage the anxiety level by offering the right treatments by using the latest psychotherapy techniques, mentions IPG Counseling.
- Assurance that It Can be Dealt With – Instead of telling a child that his/her fears are unrealistic it is better to deal with them and assure him that they can be managed or dealt with. Rather than telling a child that he won’t fail in an exam, convince or reassure him that he can avoid such a situation by working hard or studying well.
- Offer Your Support – Rather than giving in to a child’s fear and anxiety, give him assurance that you are with him to face the situation and deal with it.
- Discuss the Possible Ways to Deal With it – An excellent way to reduce anxiety is to discuss with your child the situation or the phobia which he is afraid of and discuss possible solutions for that.
- Seek Help from Professional Counselors – Professional counselors have the necessary experience and knowledge of handling anxiety in children. Approach them for timely solutions.
Type of Treatment
The type of treatment required to deal with anxiety will depend on the factors causing it. Several types of treatment options like psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and combined treatment approaches are available for dealing with anxiety issues. The WHO and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence or NICE generally recommend Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or CBT as the first line of treatment,
The duration of the therapy for anxiety can be short for specific fears and long if the problem is more pervasive. Some treatment options are:
- Behavior therapy to deal with specific symptoms
- Insight therapy to understand the root of anxiety
- Relapse prevention techniques to avoid the return of fear
So, the best way to deal with your child’s anxiety is to accept it, find the root cause, and help him deal with it. You need to provide him the necessary reassurance and support besides getting him the essential therapy.