Children and adolescents with anxiety disorders rely on their parents and teachers to offer them the help they need to recover from their fear. Most young people seem to benefit from a certain degree of involvement from their loved ones or guardians. This is why mental health experts are beginning to recognize the importance of creating treatment plans for anxious children that also involve their family and other people in their environment.
Why is it so helpful for an anxious child or teen to have the support of his or her family? When a therapist sends someone home with instructions and suggestions on how to improve a condition, it can be a lot more difficult to stick to the plan if one’s family are not supportive or helpful. Dealing with an anxiety disorder is very difficult and sometimes lonely for a child or teen. Feeling like one is misunderstood or looked down upon for having an anxiety disorder can make things much more challenging.
The home environment should be comfortable and supportive for an anxious child or adolescent. If he or she does not feel safe and accepted, there may be a lack of trust and empathy within the family. The anxious child or teen needs to know he or she can depend on the family to be supportive and loving. While peers may make fun or express derision toward a young person who has an anxiety disorder, parents and siblings must take care to treat their anxious loved one with compassion and encouragement.
To learn more about how Mayo Clinic is helping young people to deal with their anxiety with support from their family, visit the link below. The article you will find also describes a teen girl with anxiety is benefiting from the program.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323475304578503584007049700.html
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