Childhood anxiety

Ktllc

New Member
Ok, guys. Anyone could suggest some good books about childhood anxiety??
Maybe even a children's book that would not be too specific. In the snese that V's anxiety seems to be general, not specifically about fear of the dark or fear of stranger for example. But more like every time there is a change in routine or things don't happen the way HE thinks it should.
Any help would be really welcomed!!
Thanks! :)
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I don't know any books, but I suffered from SEVERE anxiety all of my life. At one time I had what doctors say is close to childhood agoraphobia. So I was wondering if V has any phobias?

Anxiety in children AND adults is usually secondary to other disorders. In my case, I also suffered from severe depression. Depression/anxiety seem to go together like soup and sandwhich :/ But the anxiety shows more than the depression because the anxiety causes kids to act out when they are scared. I used to scream at school when I got scared and gained the label "mental" (kids are so mean). I had phobias ranging from fear of bandages to fear of bloody noses to fear of throwing up and/or fainting. These fears severely limited where I felt I could go or what I could do.

I don't know if cognitive therapy would work for a child, but that's one thing that helped me a lot as an adult, but I did need medication. Without it I would have panic attacks and was afraid to (and would not) leave the house. I'm not sure it's so different for kids, since I had it both as a kid and as an adult, but it manifests differently...sort of. Again, though, it is rarely the only thing going on. In your child's case, it actually sounds more like autistic fear, but you said it was ruled out...remember that doctors can be wrong. At any rate, anxiety for a child is NOT fun and for me it was not easy. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer to the best of my memory!
 
I have an excellent book/workbook that I found for difficult child...one is on worry and one is on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). They offer the child easy to understand strategies for dealing with it. I'll let you know exact name and author when I get home tonight.
 

Ktllc

New Member
Thanks stress! That would be great.
MWM, V does not have any phobia. Seperation is very hard for him that is very consistant. Otherwise, one never knows what he is going to be stuck on.
For example, this morning we had to manage a tantrum because he could not watch his show right away (had to wait for his brother's show to be over). We have netflix, so the shows are not that long (since there is no commercial!). We explained to him why, but he kept on crying and begging "but that's too long, I can't... I need my show" etc. And some other days, he will be fine about it. It really depends on his mood I guess.
The doctor did not mention depression... but then I have to wait for the full report. I'm sure there will be a lot more details.
Just a thought: one could argue that the communication delay is primary and that would cause anxiety, right?? If he does not understand what is going on during reagular conversation, I suppose it could stress him.
Yes, a lot of questions yet. But that's why husband and I want to try the medications. The anxiety needs to be treated properly, otherwise we'll never know if the other problems are side effects or not.
Shoot, medications really scare me. But I understand that anxiety is very painful. I really don't want V to suffer.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Just a thought: one could argue that the communication delay is primary and that would cause anxiety, right??
I'd say that part is a given... but it doesn't rule out anxiety as ALSO being primary... as in, part of how he is wired.
If its both... wow, poor kid.

The "secondary" component will work itself out when the primary issue gets resolved... but that will take a while.
So, anything you can get that helps in the mean time, is going to reduce the long-term damage.
 
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