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Welcome to the CopingCatParents website.

As you can tell, the website is geared for parents…but it also has information that can be useful for kids and teens. We hope you enjoy browsing through the pages and we hope that the information is helpful. Keep reading to learn more about anxiety and its treatment.

If your parent or an adult is close and can help, you might introduce them to this website. They can find valuable information to support you and help you with anxiety.

 

So, what is anxiety?

 

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an event or something with an uncertain outcome.

Anxiety disorders affect as many as 12 to 17 percent of young people. Anxiety can start very young and stay hidden for years, causing kids to often suffer in silence. Anxiety can interfere with school, social, and family functioning and, if something isn;'t done to manage the anxiety, it can worsen over time. Left untreated, anxiety disorders may lead to depression and other mental health problems. Fortunately, anxiety disorders are treatable. Most individuals recover and can manage their anxiety after appropriate treatment. Mental health professionals refer to several types of anxiety. Below is a little information about each.

 

Different kinds of Anxiety:

Separation Anxiety

Someone who has separation anxiety worries that something bad may happen to cause him/her to have to be away from or not be able to a parent or loved ones. The thought of being away or not being able to see a parent or a loved one causes The a lot of worry and fear and the person tries to stay close to the parent or stay home so that they wont worry or feel afraid who have separation anxiety can have trouble sleeping alone, or going to sleepovers or to go to school or friends’ houses, . They might try to stay so close to their parent that they may not be able to stay with a sitter or relative if their parents go out for dinner. They may also have stomach aches or feel nervous just knowing that their parent will have to go to work or on a business trip or when thinking about having to go to school the next day because they worry they will miss their parent.

Social Anxiety

Someone with social anxiety feels really nervous or scared in social situations, or situations where there are other people around, like birthday parties, the cafeteria, or gym class. They may feel more than just a little shy. They worry that other kids might laugh or wont like them because of something they say or did. They may avoid situations where there are other people, so they don’t have to feel nervousThe person may also have difficulty starting or joining a conversation, reading out loud in class, performing in sports or musical events, or even having their pictures taken.

Generalized Anxiety

People with Generalized Anxiety find that they are worrying all the time! People might say that they are worriers. They can worry about a lot of different things like school, their health or the health of family members, things that have happened in the past, what is going to happen in the future, and even issues going on in the world or heard on the news. The y can worry so much that they might have stomach aches or headaches, have difficulty falling asleep, trouble concentrating, or feel like they can’t enjoy things.

Specific Phobias

Phobias fears of specific objects or situations. Some examples of phobias are fear of insects, animals, vomiting, blood or injections, thunderstorms, darkness, and doctors/dentists.

Panic

Panic or a panic attack, is a feeling that comes out of nowhere when you all of a sudden feel dizzy, nauseous, feel your hear racing sweaty, short of breath, and like you might faint or lose control. People of have had a panic attack then might start worrying that that panic feeling might come again and then they start avoiding situations that they think it might happen or where they don't want it to happen like in school, stores, movie theaters, or their friends’ homes. Unfortunately, the more they worry about it, the more the feeling is likely to come back.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Children and teens with OCD experience worries or scary thoughts that seem to come over and over again, or get “stuck” in their mind in a way that feels really uncomfortable. The thoughts then cause them to need to do something to make the thought go away or to make sure nothing bad happens, like doing or saying something over and over again or checking that the bad thing wont happen over and over again.These people may worry about germs, getting sick, or something bad happening to them or to a loved one. They might spend a lot of time washing, checking, or asking their parents questions about it.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Children and adolescents experience this type of anxiety after a scary or traumatic event happens, such as a car or home accident, fires/floods/tornados, or physical/sexual abuse. These children often experience heightened levels of anxiety or feel uncomfortable heart racing or feel like they cant be around people, and some have thoughts or memories of the event that pop up and make them feel worried and uncomfortable as if it was happening again. They may avoid things or people that remind them of the traumatic event or stop doing things they used to enjoy doing.
 
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