Help! S-O-S for Parents

You notice that your child appears to be crabbier and more irritable, removing herself from family and even friends, and perhaps sleeping more. Your child may be reporting more headaches or stomachaches or you many notice that he is having more problems completing tasks, such as school work. You may notice a decrease in appetite or stuttering. These are symptoms that your child may be experiencing stress.

Younger children who are anxious may start having nightmares or not want you to be  out of their sight. You may notice more crying or whining. They may appear to regress a bit and begin to demonstrate new or old behaviors such bed-wetting or sucking their thumb. Bullying or lying may become new problems.

Dr. Nestor Lopez-Doran nicely summarized the results of a study presented in a current issue of the journal Pediatrics examining children with special health care needs and their mental health. Dr. Lopez-Doran concludes,  “results highlight how prevalent depressive and anxiety symptoms are among children with special needs.”  Finding help is essential for your child when you observe stress and anxiety, but what do you do? Where do you find help?

There are five good resources right at your fingertips! Take advantage of them and they will lead to other useful sources. This is only the beginning of your quest.

1. Don’t overlook your child’s pediatrician. She is an excellent resource and can refer you to professionals who are experienced with anxiety and stress. This is not the pediatrician’s first time dealing with stress and it will not be her last, so make good use of what she can offer.

2. Friends have friends and their friends have friends. Once you start talking with your friends you will be surprised at how many other parents have children experiencing stress. Parents are always willing to share what they have learned. A referral from another parent allows you to ask a lot of questions about the professional’s methodology for working with childhood stress and anxiety, their pricing, and much more.

3. Did you know that there are a number of national directories of professionals? These directories allow you to search by geography to locate someone nearby.

Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) has a database of  therapists who are their professional members. The database can be searched by city and state. ADAA also offers useful guidelines for Choosing a Therapist. These guidelines should be reviewed prior to calling your selected therapists.

Select a couple of professionals and start contacting them. You will have to do your homework and ask many questions to determine if the professional will be a fit for your child and you, but you should have many possibilities.

4. Expert parents are all over and are willing to share their knowledge. Many parents have been “forced” to become specialists on anxiety and stress and are sharing their experiences. You can join one of the many email lists or forums. This gives you the ability to ask questions that are specific to you and have them answered by other parents.

MDJunction.com provides a discussion board called Anxiety Disorders Support Group that provides support to those dealing with anxiety. The group consists of family members, friends, and patients.  It is very easy to join this group and start benefiting from others like you.

5. There are many adults surrounding your child every day and they may be just the person you need. At school there are teachers, school psychologists, and nurses. After school your child many be involved in sports, camps, youth services at church, clubs, and music lessons, just to name a few. You never know when one of these individuals may have the expertise and experience to help your child work through his stress.

Dr. Jennifer Selke is a part time school psychologist for a middle school and the director of a youth summer camp. In her blog The Camp Director she states that “One of my jobs during the school year is teaching middle school students how to stop the spiral of anxiety. It has proven to become useful at camp working with both staff and campers.” If your child is fortunate enough to attend Dr. Selke’s summer camp, he will be getting more than a person experienced in summer recreational activities for youth. He will also be getting Selke’s clinical experience of working with youth experiencing stress.  

These are just five good ways to find help and information for your child when you are suspecting anxiety and stress. As you start making your way through this list, you will begin to compile many new contacts. Before you know it, you will end up with more than enough resources. The job now is to get started!