Guelph prof looks at ways of recognizing and treating anxiety in children
The statistics on mental health are prevalent, and we hear about them often. It is said that 20 per cent of Canadians will suffer from a mental illness in their lifetime, and 5 per cent of these illnesses will be anxiety disorders.
The Government of Canada spends (conservatively) $50 billion per year on mental health problems and illnesses, an astonishing 2.8 per cent of our annual GDP.
With the conversation in health care shifting from treatment to prevention, a new study by Guelph Psychology professor Arlene Young suggests that anxiety symptoms can begin in childhood.
“Babies who consistently jump at loud sounds and are slow to warm up to or prefer to avoid new people and situations are more likely to have a behaviourally inhibited temperament,” said Young. “This temperamental style makes them more vulnerable to developing problems with anxiety and even anxiety disorders later in development,” said Young.
Studies have been conducted in which babies, some with anxiety symptoms and others without, were shown a happy and an angry face. The babies that showed symptoms of anxiety tended to draw their focus to the angry face. This supposes that a baby that has a predisposition to look at the angry face will see their environment as more threatening that one who looks at the happy face.
The treatment explored by Young was varied. First, children would outline the shape of their bodies and researchers would ask them to show how their bodies felt in certain situations – the child pointing to their stomach, as an example, would indicate that their stomach becomes upset when they get nervous.
Secondly, Young suggests that “systematic desensitization” can prove to be useful for treating children with anxiety. The example she provided was a child afraid of elevators. Instead of forcing the child into an uncomfortable situation, the parent should hold the door open and let the child walk in and out, recognizing no harm will come to them. A second step would be to let the doors close and immediately press the open door button to again, to prove to the child they are not in harm’s way.
Young’s research was compared to data collected concerning anxious children who spent time playing with peers and did not have the systematic desensitization treatment. Results found that systematic desensitization helped reduce anxiety in children.
While the average person reading this may be able to understand, logically, that little (if any) harm would come to them in something like an elevator, it is important for even adults to understand how slowly desensitizing themselves to their anxieties could help reduce symptoms.
Moreover, Canadian studies have found that only 49 per cent of those suffering from mental health issues seek a doctor’s advice for their conditions.
While taking preventative measures is obviously the best way to avoid most illnesses, if you suffer from a mental health disorder, the advisable plan of action would be to seek professional help as soon as possible.