Mental Health and Wellbeing News

Dear Parents/Carers,

Following on from the last newsletter I thought it important to share a bit of information on childhood anxiety.

Anxiety it is the most common type of mental health disorder in children. It is estimated that nearly four in 100 children suffer from anxiety. Anxiety is a sense of apprehension, worry, fear and distress.  All children will experience anxiety from time to time, but it is when the anxiety begins to interfere with their normal day-to-day life or the anxiety becomes severe that they may require help. Anxiety is obviously a normal part of childhood. A child may feel anxious about starting a new school, a new class, a new sport, meeting new people, being separated from their parent for a few minutes, seeing a scary film, losing a pet, having trouble sleeping and so on.  This anxiety is often temporary and triggered by a specific event.

Normal anxiety in childhood changes with age. For instance, young infants often go through a phase where they are afraid of strangers. Pre-schoolers often demonstrate a fear of the dark, imaginary monsters, some animals, and of being separated from their parents. Adolescents may have fears about their appearance, social situations, and personal competence.  

However, sometimes these normal anxiety responses can become intense and persistent and begin to interfere with the child’s normal routines and life. They may become increasingly anxious about going to school, sleeping, making friends and so on.  Their anxiety can become serious and constant and may not go away when someone tries to comfort or reassure them. Generally, phobias and separation anxiety disorder begin in early childhood whereas social phobia or social anxiety disorder is more likely to commence in adolescence.

Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders

 The symptoms of anxiety will vary from disorder to disorder, but there are some common underlying threads of symptoms. The child will generally feel anxiety, excessive fear, or related behavioural difficulties.   The child may experience physical and psychological symptoms. These symptoms are like feelings of stress, but with anxiety they can be much worse. The symptoms can include: 

Constant worrying – this is usually the biggest symptom.

Trembling and muscle tension. 

Feeling tense and unable to relax. 

Feeling tired.

Having trouble staying focussed.

Feeling irritable or grouchy. 

Trouble falling or staying asleep. 

Feeling nauseous or otherwise physically ill when worrying. 

Children may also display their anxiety in other ways, such as:

Anger outbursts or temper tantrums

Complaining of stomach or headaches with no obvious medical cause 

Tiredness and fatigue

There are differences in the intensity and time of anxiety symptoms depending on the anxiety disorder. Some children may experience almost constant anxiety, whilst others may experience it at certain times. This can also relate to specific anxiety disorders. For example, if a child has Generalised Anxiety Disorders, their anxiety tends to be continuous, but the intensity of this anxiety can vary. If they suffer from Phobic Anxiety disorders, the anxiety is intermittent and only tends to occur in certain situations, such as when they are close to the phobia object or situation. With panic disorders, the child may experience intermittent anxiety that can be unrelated or related to their current situation.  For example, a child may experience a panic attack for no obvious or it could be for a specific reason, for example, attending a birthday party that they are dreading.  

Anxiety disorders are serious disorders and can fill a child’s life with overwhelming feelings of fear and anxiety. It can affect their day-to-day lives and functioning. Effective treatments are available and new research is developing new and improved therapies and treatments regularly. If a child appears to have an anxiety disorder, professional help should be sought as soon as possible.

If you require further information or assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.

Deb Owens

Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader