More Than Childhood Fear: How to Identify and Address a Specific Phobia

May 17, 2022 Madeleine Vieira

Girl walking away carrying lion stuffed toy

Many children hang on their mother’s leg with apprehension on the first day of kindergarten. Other children struggle to sleep some nights because of the monsters they think are under the bed. Or maybe the trip to the dentist each year is a source of anxiety for your child.

These are all normal childhood fears. They are specific to one experience, and they can be worked through, and the child quickly moves on from them.

When a child’s fears become disproportionate to the actual situation and are long-standing, bleeding into many areas of the child’s life, there may be more going on, such as a Specific Phobia.

A Specific Phobia centers on one particular activity, object, animal, or situation. The fear that the child feels drives them to avoid that trigger at all costs. An inability to avoid the trigger causes intense distress.

Understanding Generalized Anxiety Disorder: What It Is, Why It Happens, and How to Help Your Child

April 21, 2022 Madeleine Vieira

“What if everyone stands up and leaves when it’s my turn to sing on stage?”

“What if I trip on the playground and no one ever wants to be my friend again?”

“What if all the walls of my bedroom fall in on me?”

These may sound like normal childhood fears; every child experiences fears at some point. However, it is important to be able to spot when normal childhood fear has become overwhelming anxiety.

Generalized anxiety disorder sounds like a scary term, but breaking it down and understanding it will give you insight into how to cope with your child’s fears. So what is generalized anxiety disorder, what triggers it, and how is it treated? Let’s dive in.

3 Things to Do if You're Raising an Anxious Child

March 16, 2022 Madeleine Vieira

The past couple of years have been hard on all of us. But if you’re a parent, you’re a real hero. Working and parenting from home—all while tackling crippling pandemic anxiety—has become the new norm for many people.

And your children are likely feeling anxious too. They may not use the exact phrase “I’m anxious,” but the pandemic hasn’t been easy on anyone. And they probably don’t even have the words to describe exactly what they’re feeling.

So it’s up to you to notice and tackle the issue head on.

Is the question, “Mom, what if…?” followed by the disaster of the day on repeat in your household?

Childhood Anxiety vs. Adult Anxiety: How Anxiety in Children Looks Different

February 1, 2022 Madeleine Vieira

Socially anxious child covering their face

Anxiety disorders are some of the most common mental health conditions today.

7.1% of children aged 3-17 years have an anxiety diagnosis.(1) And it's estimated that 30% of children and adolescents will have an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.(2)

Anxiety disorders can develop at any age, though we know that half of mental health disorders begin in childhood. While both children and adults can struggle with an anxiety disorder, there are some key differences in how these disorders present themselves.