Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Anxiety Treatments For The Children - Finding The Answer

When performing anxiety treatment for children, the support from the parent and family members are extremely important, because children has weaker self confidence and more dependant to the parents, without the support, the treatment might not be successful. In general, most anxiety disorder builds up during childhood, that’s why careful monitoring your children behavior and care is very critical. A healthy growing environment will minimize the children having any kind of bad habit and disorder, if the child is diagnostic to have anxiety disorder, the treatment should start from providing a better growing environment form them.

Separation Anxiety in Children is different problem, it normally occurs in the very young children only, however, if the child continue to have separation anxiety, attention should be taken to identify the cause.

How Do I Help My Child?

During the anxiety treatment for children, encouragement from friends, relatives and parents are extremely important, it will decide the children condition to successfully cure or worsen. Never get angry and put more pressure to the children, anxiety might comes from the stress and unnecessary pressure of the parents. Instead, encourage them to face the fear, and give them the strength and confidence in their early life.

MEDICINE

In recent years medication has become an essential element of anxiety treatments for children. However, many of these medications are not medically approved for use in children and there is no ample prove that they will not cause any underlying damage to the developing mind and body of the child. Nevertheless children have to be subjected to medication during severe episodes of anxiety. Do this only under strict advice and supervision of a competent physician.

Prescription medications for children are used with extremely careful and closely monitor to avoid any damage to the child’s body during growth. Medication with long term side effect should be avoided at all cost, unless there is no other choice… Natural herbal with fewer side effects is recommended, but should be used only under supervision of trained professionals. The anxiety treatment for children should include the encouragement from the parents, and the mind treatment from the professionals is very critical as well.
Psychopharmacological Medication in Common Use:

  • Benzodiazepines: Best for long-acting treatment to reduce the symptoms. However, long term use may result in increased tolerance.
  • Serotonergic Agents: New brand of antidepressants, highly effective and takes 4 to 6 weeks to work.
  • Tricyclic: Antidepressants (TCAs): Older antidepressants with side effects
  • Combination Serotonin/Norepinephrine Agents: New medications with excellent tolerability and effectiveness..
  • Antihistamines: Instant result but only recommended for moderate level of anxiety disorder. Can be used for longer durations.
  • Major Tranquilizers: These affect the neurotransmitter systems. They are sedative in nature and used mostly for severe anxiety disorder cases.


PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENT


Another better way to anxiety treatments for children is to go through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for children. The doctor will be teaching them some coping techniques like adult; however, the children will take more time and effort to learn. Parent should encourage the child to talk freely and confide the problems, anxious or stress to the doctor. The doctor will commonly use play based therapies to open up the child mind, and help the child overcome their anxieties. Try another doctor is the child doesn’t seem to be able to communicate; the character of the child and doctor must be compatible.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: treats anxious thoughts and feelings that result from distressing thoughts. It also train the techniques of reducing maladaptive behavior.
Psychotherapy: Help to manage stresses, conflicts using talk therapy to open the mind of the patient.
Behavioral Therapies: involve techniques like relaxation training, imagery, progressive desensitization, and other methods to reduce anxiety troubles.


THE WAY OF LIFE


Anxious children are known to do well in routine home environments. Emphasize regular eating and sleeping habits. Minimize dietary sugars and chemical food intake of the child during the process of anxiety treatments in children, as these ingredients have been found to increase anxiety and frustration in children.

Try to stay away from cafeine, diet pills, nasal decognestants or anything that consists stimulants, including theophylline and cough syrups, for the child.
The child should get adequate and restful sleep to improve anxiety disorders.
Find and remove or reduce highly stressful jobs, create calm environment at home and school.

CONCLUSION


Anxiety Treatment for children take patient and love, should be taken seriously in the child growth, if ignored or passed with careless, it will damage the child life and isolate their whole life from the main society, and that’s the parent responsibility to help them stand up again. Learn more about anxiety in adult will help to prevent the building of anxiety when the child grown up.

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