About this leaflet
This is one in a series of leaflets for
parents, teachers and young people entitled Mental Health and
Growing Up. The aims of these leaflets are to provide
practical, up-to-date information about mental health problems
(emotional, behavioural and psychiatric disorders) which can affect
children and young people. This leaflet describes the different
types of anxieties that children might feel and some of the reasons
behind these. It also offers practical advice on how to deal with
these worries and anxieties.
Introduction
We all get frightened or worried from time to
time. Usually fear is a good thing as it keeps us from getting too
close to danger. Sometimes though, we can feel frightened or worry
about things 'too much' and this can get in the way of enjoying
life. This sort of fear or worry is called
anxiety.
To help us think about how best to help, we
tend to group anxieties based on what the fear or worry is about,
as you’ll see below:
you might remember being scared of the dark or something like
that when you were little. This is completely normal. Usually you
grow out of fears like this as you get older. But sometimes these
fears about particular things or places can be really strong and
don’t go away. They can also stop you doing things and can take
over your life. We call fears like thatphobias. You generally need
some extra help to cope with a phobia.
Some people feel anxious most of the time for no obvious reason.
If it is really bad, then it can stop you concentrating at school
and having fun with friends and family. Sometimes feeling anxious
and sad or low can go together.
It is completely normal for very young children to feel scared
and worried when they are not with the people who normally look
after them. This is again something that you usually grow out of.
If it is still a problem when you are an older child or a teenager,
this can make it really difficult to go to school or go out with
friends. If this happens it is best to get some help.
This is easiest to think of as really really
bad shyness. You might be ok with people you know well, but find
new people, places or important occasions very worrying. This can
mean getting on at school in big groups or even going to parties
can be impossible. Some people with this form of anxiety say they
worry about what people think of them. This means they tend to
avoid all situations which may involve other people.
A panic attack is an extreme episode of
anxiety. This means it has a start and a finish and you’re not
anxious all the time, although you might worry about when the next
panic attack will happen. During an attack, you have all the
physical feelings of anxiety (see below) and also have frightening
thoughts, like thinking you are going to die, or “go mad”. It
is rare for younger children to have panic attacks on their own,
without another form of anxiety like those mentioned above. In
teenagers this becomes more common and if you do get panic attacks
without an obvious 'trigger' then that is called panic
disorder.
Some children and young people may have other types of anxiety,
such as
post-traumatic stress disorder or
obsessive
compulsive disorder which have their own leaflets.
How will I know I have anxiety?
When we are frightened, our brains tell our bodies to get ready
in case we are in danger and need to run away quickly. This means
that if you have anxiety, as well as feeling fearful or panicky,
you might also feel:
- short of breath
- like your heart is racing
- tummy ache or “butterflies”
- fidgety and restless
- like you need the toilet a lot .
You may also have trouble sleeping or have
nightmares.
What causes these worries and anxieties?
Anxiety problems tend to run in families, so if someone in your
family is known to worry a lot, you may be more likely to. Some of
this will be passed on in the genes, but you may also ‘learn’
anxious behaviour from being around anxious relatives. This can get
worse if your family are too anxious to be able to make you feel
better.
When bad things happen, like losing someone close, parents being
ill or getting divorced, we often get stressed and find it
difficult to cope. Some people can become anxious and worried at
these times. You may be able to manage one thing, but often lots of
things happen at once, like parents separating, moving house and
changing school, making it much more difficult (see leaflets on
divorce, bereavement and when bad things happen).
- Not being looked after properly
If your parents or carers are very harsh, or smother you too
much, or are not reliable, you might feel unsupported and insecure
and this can be linked with separation anxiety. You might also feel
worried and anxious if you hear or see your parents or carers
arguing and fighting.
Children and young people who are bullied, don’t have many
friends or have trouble with their school work often worry a
lot.
Frightening experiences
If something really frightening has happened to you, or someone
close to you, like a fire or burglary at home, a car crash or an
assault you might suffer from anxiety afterwards or go on to
develop post-traumatic stress
disorder.
Will I grow out of it?
Probably, but a few young people are still
anxious or might become depressed when they grow up.
What help is around?
There is a lot you can do with the help of
family and good friends to make you feel better.
- Try to give yourself more time to get used to
any changes that happen, like at home or at school, as change can
be more difficult when you worry a lot.
- Check out whether you are picking up on
someone else’s worry, rather than it being just yours.
- Get support from good friends and family; you
might also want to talk to someone outside the family like a
teacher or mentor.
If this isn’t enough, you might need more
specialist help. Go to see your general practitioner (family
doctor) who may send you to see someone from the local child and adolescent mental health
service (CAMHS).
The type of specialist help offered here will
depend on what is causing the anxiety. Usually it will be a form of
talking therapy, like Cognitive
Behavioural Therapy (CBT). You may be seen on your own
or with your family. Your parents or carers may also have their own
appointments too.
Occasionally, once you’ve tried a talking
therapy, you might also be given a medicine to help if your anxiety
problem has not got much better. A type of antidepressant, called an SSRI,
is usually used.
Anxiety problems can be really difficult to
live with, but the good news is there are lots of different ways
you can be helped to manage them better and get on with your
life.
References
- The Young Mind (2009). Eds Mike Shooter and Sue Bailey. Bantam
Press
Sources of further information
- The Mental Health and Growing Up series contains 36
leaflets on a range of common mental health problems. To order the
pack, contact Book Sales at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, 17
Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PG; tel: 020 7235 2351, ext. 146;
fax: 020 7245 1231; e-mail: booksales@rcpsych.ac.uk, or
you can download them from this website.
- Produced by the Child and Family Public
Education Editorial Board
- Series Editor: Dr Mona Freeman
© Royal College of Psychiatrists. This factsheet may be
downloaded, printed out, photocopied and distributed free of charge
as long as the Royal College of Psychiatrists is properly credited
and no profit is gained from its use. Permission to reproduce it in
any other way must be obtained from the Head of Publications. The College
does not allow reposting of its factsheets on other sites, but
allows them to be linked to directly.
November 2009;
Due for review: November 2011
Please note that we are unable to offer advice on individual cases. Please see our FAQ for advice on getting help.
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