Anxiety
All children experience anxiety, as fears and worries in children are common and can often be developmentally appropriate. However, when a child’s worrying becomes excessive or begins to interfere with everyday functioning, he or she may be experiencing anxiety on a clinical level.
Are you seeing any of the following behaviors in your child?
- Worrying so much that sleep is interrupted
- Refusing to go to school
- Becoming avoidant of social activities
- Being especially clingy
- Adopting specific rituals in order to reduce their anxiety
- Frequent and repetitive reassurance-seeking
- Frequent complaints of stomachaches and headaches, without a clear medical explanation
More than one of the above signs may mean worrying may have surpassed developmentally-appropriate anxiety. If you are unsure whether your child’s anxiety is normal or if professional help is needed, the highly trained and experienced therapists at Lifestance Health can assess your child’s situation and teach you tips and strategies to apply at home. Contact us to make an appointment.
Depression
My child seems sad, what do I do?
The symptoms of depression in children vary and it can be difficult to tell the difference between a “clinical” sadness and mood changes that occur as a normal part of emotional and psychological growth. However, true childhood depression is different from the normal “blues” in several important ways.
Is your child regularly showing any of the following symptoms?
- Irritability or anger
- Continuous feelings of sadness and hopelessness
- Social withdrawal
- Increased sensitivity to rejection
- Changes in appetite — either increased or decreased
- Changes in sleep — sleeplessness or excessive sleep
- Vocal outbursts or crying
- Difficulty concentrating
- Fatigue and low energy
- Physical complaints (such as stomachaches, headaches) that don’t respond to treatment
- Reduced ability to function during events and activities at home or with friends, in school, extracurricular activities, and in other hobbies or interests
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- Impaired thinking or concentration
- Thoughts of death or suicide
We know seeing any of these symptoms in your child is distressing, but research shows the sooner you seek help the more likely that depression can be successfully treated. The clinicians at Lifestance Health are trained to carefully assess and evaluate your child’s symptoms and make recommendations that will help their symptoms improve as well as support you through this challenge.
The skilled and compassionate professionals at Lifestance Health have many years of experience and are ready to help your family stabilize and teach you effective and research-based tools to manage your child’s struggles. We accept many forms of insurance and offer after school and evening hours for your convenience. Don’t worry and suffer alone, help is available today.Contact us to make an appointment.
