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MAY 2024

Managing anxiety for kids and teens

Has your child frequently complained about feeling sick to their stomach? Does your teen seem increasingly irritable or withdrawn? Have your kids stopped doing the things they used to enjoy? These may be signs of anxiety.

Anxiety disorders are the most common childhood mental health condition, affecting 1 in 8 children.¹ They are also highly treatable with the right care. Read on for information about childhood anxiety and how you can help your child build skills and resilience to manage their symptoms.

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Forms of anxiety

Anxiety is a normal human response to stress, danger or a threat. But if the anxiety persists once the threat is gone or the threat never existed in the first place, it can get in the way of your child being able to live their life. This may indicate that they need help.

Anxiety can show up for kids in a lot of different scenarios, including:

• Separating from primary caregivers
• Social situations that can bring up fears of not fitting in or being judged or bullied
• Worry about grades or doing well enough
• Fear of failure or the unknown
• Irrational, unspecified or obsessive fear
• Worry about germs or contamination

It’s common for kids to feel anxiety on multiple fronts, such as feeling anxious about attending a class for both social and academic reasons.

Signs of anxiety

Since anxiety disorders tend to run in families, they are most likely caused by a combination of genetics and environment. Here are some signs of anxiety that occur within:

Short videos from Brightline are available to help parents understand childhood anxiety. Watch this video for a deeper dive into the symptoms of anxiety and this video to learn more about anxiety in younger kids.

Anxiety and other mental health conditions 

Childhood anxiety often occurs along with a range of mental health conditions, including developmental differences and learning challenges. Here are some that are most common.

Anxiety and panic attacks

A panic attack is a period of intense fear and anxiety that can last minutes or hours. It may be triggered by something stressful, though many are unexpected. Panic attacks most often start in the tween or teen years and can become so severe that the child may be afraid to leave home. Symptoms can include a racing heartbeat, tightness in the chest, lightheadedness, stomach cramps, shaking legs, and fears of losing control or dying.

Anxiety and depression

Depression and anxiety disorders commonly occur together in children, even sharing some symptoms such as trouble sleeping, increased irritability, and withdrawing from friends or activities. In fact, kids who have anxiety as children are more likely to have depression as teens.

Anxiety and ADHD 

About 3 in 10 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also have an anxiety disorder.² These conditions can look very much alike in certain circumstances. Some of the symptoms of ADHD can be the same as the symptoms of anxiety. If your child is struggling, a counselor or therapist can determine how best to support your child.

What you can do

If you’re a parent or caregiver, your child’s health and well-being couldn’t be more important. Following these steps when your child’s anxiety is interfering with their normal activities can be life changing for your child and your family. 

*Available only on the mainland.
**Not available in Puerto Rico.

¹National Library of Medicine. Anxiety in children.
²ADDitude. Which came first: the anxiety or the ADHD?

Sources:
Brightline. Webinar: Identifying & addressing anxiety for youth.
WebMD. Recognizing childhood depression and anxiety.
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Panic disorder in children and adolescents.

Check out the resources below to get the support your family needs — much of it at no cost to you.