Children with anxiety can suffer both at home and at school. They may find it difficult to deal with certain situations in the home and outside of the home. Participating in a school event, visiting the local mall, or going to the doctor’s office can be stressful. It’s not easy to predict when a child will have an anxiety attack until the triggers of the attacks are identified. In the meantime, it is necessary for parents of children with anxiety to learn more about anxiety in kids.
Behavioral Therapy
Parents often receive the recommendation of taking their children to visit with a therapist for behavioral therapy sessions. These sessions are meant to help children take better control on how to act appropriately in certain situations. The primary goal of this therapy is to teach children how to act or to cope when they are feeling anxious or upset. If they learn how to control their emotions a bit better, children will not behave badly when feeling anxiety. They will start communicating better when talking about how they feel and why they feel that way.
Medication
Behavioral therapy is very often the first recommendation, and it is the best. Some children can benefit from taking medication to help control some of the anxiety symptoms that are bringing them down. However, before any type of medication is prescribed, the child would need to undergo a mental health evaluation. While not all children need medication to control their anxiety, some children will need to take them. This especially true if they are having a hard time falling asleep at night or if they aren’t able to concentrate in school. Before giving a child medication, parents are advised on the potential side effects. Parents are also given dosage instructions so that they know how much medicine to give their children.
There are different ways to start treating anxiety in kids. Some kids can benefit solely from behavioral therapy. However, some children can benefit from a combination of behavioral therapy and medication that helps to improve the child’s mood while reducing some anxiety symptoms, such as those feelings of nervousness and irritability. Any parent who believes their child could potentially suffer with anxiety should bring their child to the pediatrician to discuss their concerns and seek help for the condition.