Anxiety in Children & Adolescence

Childhood and adolescence, apart from the normal fears and anxieties of growing up, should be a time of excitement, joy, feeling safe to explore, make friendships, participate in sport, leisure and social activities, going to parties and attending school. However, for a significant percentage of children and youth anxiety disorders cause a great deal of emotional distress and suffering with serious consequences in everyday life and are commonly associated with substance use and depression.

Alison (14yrs) experienced excessive anxiety and worry about various life circumstances. She was frequently bothered by muscle tension, shaking, dry mouth, dizziness and nausea. She felt on edge, irritable a good part of the time and had difficulties concentrating and sleeping at nights. She was fearful of being noticed and judged harshly by others. She was also fearful of losing control, of embarrassing herself or having a disastrous physical or mental disorder fall upon her. Her fears hampered her ability to interact with others, make new friends, undertake classroom exercises or go away on excursions. To keep herself safe she avoided many threatening situations. The disruption in her life along with her beliefs of being helpless with no-where to turn exacerbated her emotional distress and low self-esteem leading to feelings of depression and hopelessness.

The good news with regard anxiety disorders is that they are responsive to treatment. Psychological treatment programs, in particular cognitive behavioral therapy, has been empirically validated and shown to be effective in the treatment of these conditions.

The reference below outlines some common anxiety disorders in children, information to carers about when to seek help, where to seek help as well as links to other useful sites.