Overview. what is anxiety? when is anxiety a problem? diagnoses, prevalence, causes

Transcription

1 Anxiety in Children Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board Parent Conference on Mental Health October 18, 2014 Presented by: Christine Flindall and Suzanne Steele (School Board Counsellors)

2 Overview 1. All About Anxiety what is anxiety? when is anxiety a problem? diagnoses, prevalence, causes 2. How Parents Can Help cognitive-behavioural therapy tools helpful vs. unhelpful parental responses 3. Resources 4. Questions

3 All About Anxiety

4 What is Anxiety? an aroused state of alertness in response to perceived danger/threats feelings of distress are typically accompanied by physical symptoms

5 Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety in Children physical symptoms: perspiration, increased heart rate, stomachaches, headaches, muscle tension behavioural symptoms: clinginess, irritability, aggression, avoidance, school refusal, perfectionism, reassurance seeking

6 The Anxiety Iceberg withdrawal avoidance sleeping/eating disturbances difficulty separating acting out/aggression negative thinking patterns excessive worry uncomfortable physical sensations feelings of distress poor memory and concentration

7 When is Anxiety a Problem? fears are a normal and natural part of life fears emerge and develop at specific times in our lives no such thing as an abnormal fear children with anxiety problems have worries that become extreme/intrusive anxiety becomes a problem when it interferes with daily functioning

8 Is Anxiety a Problem for Your Child? Questions to Ask Yourself how does my child s behaviour compare to that of his/her same-age peers? is anxiety interfering with my child s friendships, schoolwork, family life, and/or extra-curricular activities? is my child extremely distressed by feelings of anxiety?

9 Common Diagnoses generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) specific phobias separation anxiety social anxiety panic disorder selective mutism

10 Prevalence anxiety is the most common mental health concern for children particular disorders vary with age

11 Causes no clear answer anxiety runs in families some parents react to anxious children in an overly protective way some children model anxious behaviours stressful life experiences can trigger anxiety

12 How Parents Can Help

13 Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy Tools

14 What is Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)? a psychological treatment developed through scientific research ( evidence-based ) one of the most effective treatments for the management of anxiety involves learning to change your thoughts (cognitions) and your actions (behaviour)

15 Education Why is Education Important? the first step toward successfully managing anxiety is to understand and recognize it having accurate information about anxiety can reduce confusion, fear and shame anxiety is a common and normal experience, and it can be managed successfully

16 What Children Should Know The Facts anxiety is normal anxiety is adaptive anxiety is not dangerous anxiety does not last forever anxiety is mostly anonymous

17 Anxiety is Like a Smoke Alarm A smoke alarm can help to protect us when there is an actual fire, but when a smoke alarm is too sensitive and goes off when there isn t really a fire it is rather annoying. Like a smoke alarm, anxiety is helpful and adaptive when it works right. But if it goes off when there is no real danger, it is not only scary, it is also very exhausting. However, we DO NOT want to get rid of the alarm (or eliminate anxiety) because it protects us from danger. We want to fix it so it works properly for us. (Source:

18 Body Awareness part of educating your child about anxiety is helping them to understand what happens physically when they get anxious to do this, you can ask your child: What happens when you get anxious? Where do you feel anxiety in your body? you might also consider drawing a sketch of a body and asking your child to identify where he or she feels anxiety in the body

19 Body Awareness

20 The Cognitive Triangle in any given situation, you will have thoughts and feelings about it, and behave in a certain way these thoughts, feelings, and actions all interact and influence each other the best way to understand this is to think about them as a triangle

21 The Cognitive Triangle

22 The Cognitive Triangle Two Ways to Reduce Anxiety 1. change your behaviour use exposure to gradually face feared situations instead of avoiding them 2. change your thoughts challenge anxious thinking

23 Helpful vs. Unhelpful Parental Responses to Anxious Behaviour

24 Helpful Parental Responses rewarding brave, non-anxious behaviour modelling brave, non-anxious behaviour ignoring behaviours you don t want preventing avoidance communicating empathy effectively prompting children to cope constructively

25 Unhelpful Parental Responses excessive reassurance being too directive permitting or encouraging avoidance becoming impatient with your child

26 Resources

27 Recommended Resources For Parents and Children Mind Over Mood (Greenberger & Padesky) Think Good - Feel Good (Stallard) For Parents Helping Your Anxious Child (Rapee, Spence, Cobham & Wignall) Keys to Parenting Your Anxious Child (Manassis)

28 Questions?