Child Anxiety Related News and Articles

A Strategy to Help Kids Stop Intrusive Thoughts

Why ‘Response’ Matters as Much as ‘Exposure’ Living with emetophobia, OCD, or really any anxiety disorder often means spending an extraordinary amount of mental time stuck on a problem. It’s not just a passing worry — it can consume hours of your day, and sometimes linger for weeks, months, or even years. One of the main goals of treatment is to break free from this painful mental loop. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is one of the most effective tools we have — but it can be difficult to explain to kids and tricky to implement. ERP Has Two Parts — and Both Are Equally [...]

How to Find a Counselor for Your Child: 8 Things to Consider

Once you decide your child may need some specialized help how then do you find the most effective treatment and therapist? Here are 8 things to consider as you seek help. Identify Your Child’s Needs Understand the Issue: If possible, determine the specific reason your child may need counseling (e.g., anxiety, depression, school issues, trauma). Developmentally your child may not have the experience or self-awareness to be able to describe what is bothering them so you may need some tools. Sometimes online symptom checklists can be helpful in identifying problem issues. A selection of sites [...]

Exposure and Response Prevention: What if it fails or makes things worse?

The answer is, it might. But it is not the Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) itself, rather is a result of unfavorable conditions or inappropriate applications. Briefly, ERP methodically exposes individuals to anxiety-provoking stimuli while preventing safety behaviors. ERP helps to retrain the brain and reduce distress with repetitive practice. I would say that most people have a least some reservations about trying the treatment called exposure and response prevention (ERP). There is evidence that as many as one in five will refuse to do it.[1] I have seen other articles [...]

Emetophobia Self-Help at a Whole New Level

When you think of self-help with an anxiety disorder, you usually think of a book. If you see a psychotherapist for an anxiety disorder you think of an interactive conversation that is customized to your needs. What is recently possible is a combination of both the right information with an interactive application of treatment. With the advent of interactive web design, a new set of possibilities opens up. I have often thought about how to create an app that would mimic what would happen with an experienced therapist but would be self-directed. I even pitched this idea to an app development [...]

The Decline of Play-Based Childhood

Photo by Margaret Weir on Unsplash In the recently published book The Anxious Generation, author Jonathan Haidt reviews research showing that children are no longer able to experience play-based childhoods and this is leading to increased rates of anxiety and other mental health issues. It’s best for parents to recognize this trend in society and work to minimize negative effects on their children. What follows is a summary of the concerns mentioned in Dr. Haidt’s book. The Loss of Free Play Peter Gray of Boston College defines “free play” as an activity freely chosen and directed by [...]

Just Released: How to Treat Emetophobia: A Guide for Providers

A few years back, I was happily surprised when Anna Christie, B.A. M.Div., RCC emailed Dr. McCarthy and me about Turnaround, our anxiety program for kids. She was and is one of the premier specialists in the world for treating emetophobia. (This is a fear of vom**ing.) She put this on the map for clinicians and sufferers. If a therapist was treating this phobia, they were using her website. If a sufferer started to search using their symptoms, they would find her website. Unbeknownst to her, I shared a passion for helping people with emetophobia. In one of the moments of “what do I have to [...]

A Kid’s Guide to Emetophobia Release

I am happy to announce the release of a kid’s book on emetophobia. Like Turnaround it provides a thorough explanation of the problem with the steps needed to overcome it. I hope it will be entertaining, engaging and effective like Turnaround. (We also offer a supplement to Turnaround for emetophobia. It is designed for parents or professionals to use along with Turnaround.) This book, like Turnaround, is directed toward children. One of my absolutely favorite things is that my daughter, Lindsey, did most of the illustrations. I think you will enjoy them as much as I do. An [...]

The Relationship Between Anxiety and Anger

Imagine feeling nervous, stressed and worried most of the time, or so fixated on a particular perceived threat that it paralyzes you with fear. Living in this constant state of stress, it seems reasonable that you would become frustrated, irritable and even angry, right? For adults and children suffering from an anxiety disorder, this is a very real consequence. In fact, when left unacknowledged and untreated, anxiety can evolve into anger. What Triggers Anger? In many cases, anger is the result of witnessing, or being the victim of, a real or perceived injustice. Your mood simply boils over [...]

Is Emetophobia an Eating Disorder?

The fear of vomit or vomiting, known as emetophobia, is a very real and often debilitating form of childhood anxiety. As with any phobia, the fear can be overwhelming, causing sufferers to avoid contact with anything associated with vomit or things that could lead to vomiting. This includes sick people, activities that can cause dizziness or overheating, and even food. In fact, emetophobics may reduce food intake or avoid certain foods altogether. While emetophobia is not considered an eating disorder, it can lead to one without proper treatment. Link Between Emetophobia & Eating [...]

What is the Role of the Extended Family of an Anxious Child?

The extended family can play an important role for parents or caregivers of an anxious child. These extended family members can include grandparents, aunts, uncles, or other close relatives. All of these extended family members can lend their support to parents or caregivers, making it easier for them to provide their child with the necessary care and attention. Here are some ways extended family members can provide this support. Avoid Judgemental Comments Judgement from family members will add unnecessary stress to the parents or caregivers of a child with anxiety. A child may pick up [...]

The Effects of Anxiety on Relationships

When a child suffers from anxiety, their day-to-day struggle impacts not just their own well-being, but their social relationships and the well-being of their family members, too. Families can greatly benefit from working through the problem together, for the sake of all involved. Although the anxiety sufferer generally bears the brunt of their condition, their feelings and how those feelings shape their interaction with the world can take a heavy toll on interpersonal relationships. Research suggests that having a child with a psychiatric condition negatively impacts family functioning in [...]

How to Ease Your Child’s Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety can affect a child at any age. This anxiety occurs when a child becomes distressed about separation from his parents or caregivers. It can be seen in infants when a parent leaves the room, in young children when they are dropped off at school or daycare, or even in teenagers through separation at school, a trip, or a long weekend. The first step is to recognize that your child is experiencing separation anxiety. Try to determine which situations are the most stressful for your child. At that point, you can begin to make changes that will help ease your child’s [...]

Ways Good Parents Contribute to Their Child’s Anxiety

Childhood anxiety is on the rise, and bad parenting isn’t always the culprit. In fact, there are multiple ways that otherwise good parents can contribute to their child’s anxiety. Some of these ways are pretty surprising, especially when parents are usually just trying to act with their child’s best interests in mind. Many of the parenting pitfalls that lead to child anxiety are rooted in good intentions. According to Karen Banes, who recently authored an article on this very topic in the Washington Post, the main ways that good parents add to their child’s anxiety include: Caring…A [...]

Signs Your Child Is Anxious

Just as the grownup world has its own terrors and stressors that stimulate adult anxiety, childhood is filled with concerns and pressures all its own, which may cause your child to feel anxious, sometimes at problematic levels. Difficulties with learning and attention may further exacerbate the problem. There are numerous potential clues that your child is suffering from anxiety, which may manifest in a combination of physical, emotional and behavioral indicators. The following list contains some of the common signs your child is anxious, in order to aid parents in recognizing the [...]