Everyone has anxiety. It can even
be motivating. However, frequent or more intense symptoms negatively impact
children’s well-being. Further, anxious children tend to be people pleasers who
worry about being judged; they may therefore minimize or hide their concerns. But,
like a beach ball held underwater, anxious feelings often force their way up
more strongly, if pushed down or ignored, than if they had been appropriately
dealt with or managed.
Situational anxiety is normal, but when it interferes with
daily activities or prevents your child from enjoying life (e.g., being active,
completing schoolwork) it’s time to act. Left untreated, childhood anxiety can
lead to poorer school achievement, missing out on social experiences, and
increased risk for depression and substance abuse. A mental health provider can
help your child develop a toolbox full of effective coping skills that will not
only enable them to enjoy life more now, but become independent adults who can
manage the daily stressors of post-high school education, a job, and
relationships.
Anxiety may be linked to a specific stressful event and may
relieve itself at some point. Some people, however, may be biologically
predisposed to anxiety. In either case, a mental health counselor can help.
A more comprehensive list of anxiety symptoms and disorders
appears below. If your child suffers from symptoms on this list or you suspect
they have anxiety, seek an assessment from a mental health provider who can
best determine whether the anxiety is normal, develop an effective treatment
plan, and provide additional resources or referrals.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
- Frequent or extreme worry in several life areas (e.g., family/friend relationships, world events, natural disasters, school or sport performance, well-being/safety of self or others)
- Perfectionism
- Constant need for approval or reassurance to feel comforted
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty sleeping
- Restlessness
- Irritability
Panic Disorder:
- Difficulty breathing
- Choking sensation
- Stomachache
- Rapid heartbeat
- Dizziness
- Sweating
- Shaking or trembling
- Fear of losing control or going crazy
- Fear of dying
- Feeling things are surreal
- Tingling
- Chills or hot flashes
- Worry about recurring panic attacks
Social Anxiety
- Fears social situations (e.g., parties, outings, family get togethers)
- Performance fears (e.g., school presentations, class participation, recitals, sporting events)
- Avoids talking in groups
- Expresses concerns/embarrassment about being negatively judged
- Discomfort initiating social interaction (e.g., inviting friends to do things, making phone calls)
- Avoids eye contact
Separation Anxiety
- Fearful/nervous when away from home or separated from caregiver
- Headaches or stomachaches when thinking of or actually separated (often on school days)
- Refuses to leave caregiver or home
- Fears being alone
- Nightmares about separation
- Bed wetting
- Worries that something bad may happen when or if separated from caregiver
- Difficulty sleeping without caregiver present
- Repeated pleading or temper tantrums
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)\
Obsessions
- Repetitive or frequent unwanted and intrusive thoughts (obsessions)
- Upset if unable to repeatedly perform rituals and/or routines (compulsions)
- Constant irrational worry about dirt, germs, or contamination
- Fears harm or danger to a loved one or self
- Over-focus on religious rules or rituals
- Hears intrusive words or sounds
- Constant worry about losing something valuable
- Excessive need for symmetry, order, specific arrangement of objects or tasks
- Hoarding or saving unnecessary items
- Ritualistic counting (e.g., of steps, ceiling tiles) or behaviors
- Checking and re-checking (e.g., on homework, checking if light left on or door was locked)
- Repetitive verbalization (e.g., prayer, activity, phrase, name, song)
- Need to engage in activity or task until it is “just right”
- Intense fear and anxiety
- Emotionally numb
- Easily irritated or angered
- Emotionally triggered by anything (e.g., a smell, sound, person) related to a traumatic event
- Avoids places, people, or activities associated with a traumatic event (e.g., accident, abuse)
- Difficulty sleeping or nightmares
- Feels detached from others
- Jumpy or exaggerated startle response
- Difficulty concentrating
- Reliving or re-creating a traumatic event through play
- Phobias or irrational fears of specific situations or objects (e.g., spiders, open spaces)
- Refusing to speak in situations where talking is expected or necessary in daily life
- Persistent skin picking or scratching
- Pulling out hair, eyebrows, or eyelashes (trichotillomania)
Kathy Glick is a
licensed mental health therapist, who recently joined Esprit Counseling, and is
currently accepting new clients. Viewing the
client as the most important person in the room, Kathy provides a caring
presence, helping clients find hope. Building on clients’ strengths, Kathy helps them discover their own resilience, to
better achieve their goals and dreams. Using evidence based
therapies (including CBT, EMDR, ACT, Motivational Interviewing, and Family
Systems), Kathy individually tailors her approach and has consistently rated as
highly effective in helping clients reduce symptoms. Kathy has worked extensively with trauma (e.g.,
sexual abuse), life adjustment (e.g., grief, divorce, illness), PTSD, anxiety,
panic attacks, depression, bi-polar disorder, mood disorders, grief,
co-dependency, relationship difficulties, and anger issues. She
treats adults, adolescents, and children (10 and up), individually, in couples,
or as families. Kathy holds a Master of
Science from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, certification from the
National Board for Certified Counselors, and is Licensed in Wisconsin. Outside
of work, Kathy loves spending time with family, friends, her children, and her
dog, Miguel. She enjoys traveling, yoga, walking, biking, cooking, and reading.
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