Matt Eggleston – Psychiatrist, CAF
FULL NOTES - SEE HARD COPY FILE
Behaviours that may be linked to anxiety: Anger, questioning constantly, highly reactive, tearful, needy, constantly hurt or claims to be hurt, loud, bossy…and more.
ANXIETY IS SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE FEELS, AND IT HELPS US TO REACT APPROPRIATELY TO DANGEROUS SITUATIONS; it can motivate us to be organised, and it can promote performance (e.g. feeling anxious about a test so making time to study). WE can teach children to recognise and use anxiety for their benefit. Successful coping skills can be learn, and these help people and children manage everyday anxiety.
HOWEVER, MEDICAL / FURTHER ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE SOUGHT IF IT BECOMES A DISORDER, which requires:
1. Developmentally inappropriate
2. Lasts for long periods
3. There is a functional impairment
4. There is SIGNIFICANT distress, i.e. that stops a person or child from functioning
Normal Developmental Anxiety
Infants: loud noises, strangers
Toddlers: strangers, separation, the dark, animals, monsters
Childhood: strangers, separation, dark, animals, bullying, performance
Teens: performance, relationships, health, appearance, future
Causes
NOTE: Many of these are avoidable - a person can be supported to overcome them or develop strategies for dealing with them.
It is important to deal with it....
And LIFESTYLE IS CRITICAL…if a child has adequate healthy food, sleep, limited device/social media time and strategies for dealing with worry and positive thinking / self talk then most will be fine and worry will pass. It is important that families can see everyday anxiety as something that can be overcome with support.
FOUR COMPONENTS OF TREATMENT
Feelings – help children to identify and name emotions. Putting a name on a feeling makes it less threatening, and supports them to discuss it with others.
Thoughts – check in …are they accurate? Helpful or harmful? Recognise and help children deal with negative thinking processes, such as:
Behaviours – help children find activities or ways to challenge and overcome anxiety causing situations; rather than allowing them to avoid the anxiety associated task e.g. speaking in public. SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION.
Body – help process anxiety / worry on a physical level with:
FULL NOTES - SEE HARD COPY FILE
Behaviours that may be linked to anxiety: Anger, questioning constantly, highly reactive, tearful, needy, constantly hurt or claims to be hurt, loud, bossy…and more.
ANXIETY IS SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE FEELS, AND IT HELPS US TO REACT APPROPRIATELY TO DANGEROUS SITUATIONS; it can motivate us to be organised, and it can promote performance (e.g. feeling anxious about a test so making time to study). WE can teach children to recognise and use anxiety for their benefit. Successful coping skills can be learn, and these help people and children manage everyday anxiety.
HOWEVER, MEDICAL / FURTHER ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE SOUGHT IF IT BECOMES A DISORDER, which requires:
1. Developmentally inappropriate
2. Lasts for long periods
3. There is a functional impairment
4. There is SIGNIFICANT distress, i.e. that stops a person or child from functioning
Normal Developmental Anxiety
Infants: loud noises, strangers
Toddlers: strangers, separation, the dark, animals, monsters
Childhood: strangers, separation, dark, animals, bullying, performance
Teens: performance, relationships, health, appearance, future
Causes
- Genetics (30-60% inherited)
- Neurobiology
- Attachment (insecure)
- Parent modelling (anxious thinking is catchy)
- Parent practise (Over protection, allowing avoidance e.g. not attending school etc)
- Trauma
- Stress - ongoing
- Cognitive style (unhelpful thinking; inaccurate thoughts)
- Lack of support, friends or cultural connections
NOTE: Many of these are avoidable - a person can be supported to overcome them or develop strategies for dealing with them.
It is important to deal with it....
And LIFESTYLE IS CRITICAL…if a child has adequate healthy food, sleep, limited device/social media time and strategies for dealing with worry and positive thinking / self talk then most will be fine and worry will pass. It is important that families can see everyday anxiety as something that can be overcome with support.
FOUR COMPONENTS OF TREATMENT
Feelings – help children to identify and name emotions. Putting a name on a feeling makes it less threatening, and supports them to discuss it with others.
Thoughts – check in …are they accurate? Helpful or harmful? Recognise and help children deal with negative thinking processes, such as:
- Overestimate problems and underestimate ability to cope
- Fortune telling: I won’t be able to …
- Catastrophic thinking: Mum’s late … she’s been in an accident
- Black and white thinking: Less than perfect = failure
- Over-generalization: I always fail
- Mind reading: They think I’m stupid
Behaviours – help children find activities or ways to challenge and overcome anxiety causing situations; rather than allowing them to avoid the anxiety associated task e.g. speaking in public. SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION.
Body – help process anxiety / worry on a physical level with:
- Slow breathing/belly breathing/box breathing (activates the vagus nerve)
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Mindfulness (being in the moment)
- Mental imagery e.g. help child have a mental image or photo (in pocket) that calms e.g. pet.
- Keep it light and positive
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