children and anxiety

I have a 6.5 year old daughter who suffers from anxiety. I have recently started her in therapy just to learn some coping skills. I have severe anxiety myself, so I feel somewhat helpless in helping her. I do know that some of my family, who is not so understanding, has been telling her to "stop crying like a baby" and other hurtful things which just make matters worse. She is very intelligent, and they labeled her "gifted" (I personally hate that term) but she has always been very emotional and overly sensitive, and that has progressed into anxiety. I am hoping that as she learns some coping skills that it will help her when she gets a bit older and has to go through those angst-ridden teenage years.

Part of her anxiety is due to my own health issues (I am battling cancer) and the change in routine that it caused her, and she has also had trouble dealing with her great-grandmother's death in February this year. She was very close to her.

I know her anxiety is escalating quickly, and she is now becoming anxious over the weirdest things. Like recently, she became horribly upset about not knowing who she was going to marry. I mean, full-blown panic attack. I felt so bad for her. And also, she's been upset about hearing the biblical passage about returning to "dust" after death. She thinks that "it will hurt" and she is anxious about herself dying when she is old. I feel terrible when she gets this way, cause I don't know how to help her other than to tell her truthfully about whatever it is she is anxious about. I obviously don't go into too much detail, I make it to her level, but she is so bright and so smart...she reads way above her grade level and learns so much that I think she has a hard time processing it. Does that make sense? Almost like she is reading far too advanced material and then she is not mature enough emotionally to handle it. She is currently reading into 8th grade level. She is just entering first grade. She's been reading since she was 4. Sigh. She was reading one of my medical journals not too long ago (i'm a nurse). She just loves to read anything and everything and I have to be very cautious about what is around the house, and what gets shown on TV, etc. I only hope that talking to this new therapist will help her. I don't know what else to do.

My daughter is not on any meds currently. I do know that children can sometimes have more pronounced side effects to antidepressants. They are not always studied extensively in children and thus when meds are prescribed off-label then problems are seen. Is your daughter on anything currently?? Or are you just trying to research what's currently out there and common side effects? In any case, I hope your daughter gets better soon. I know it's so difficult to watch your children suffer. Do you yourself suffer from anxiety/depression? Is there a family history?

Hi there
My teen is very intellectual loves to read as well and has been thru HADES and back with my illnesses
Cait had learnt to flush and hook up IV at age 5
I basically could have been the above poster when it comes to her story........she is very emotional and stressed angry at her father for dying ..( diabetic and would not quit drinking) as he was never there for her and seeing me go thru what I do ........

Cait was put on AD's for a while and it did help her out it did not interfere with her school work in fact she was Valedictorian and went to Toronto Ontario as a Page in the Legislation for a month .......

There are times she would basically go into big panic attacks whilst shopping , or when she was away and found out I was with an outbreak again or had had my tx'x .......

Cait and I along with Doc had decided to take her off wean her and she would be fine .....had a rough few months she did to go thru and hence the AD's

She has lost her Dad ,Nan,Grammy.Grampy and a friend in last 3 yrs so death has not been a stranger to her either.......
She is and has vocalized that she is worried I am next BUT she is now okay and knows I am not going anywhere I will be here for her and that I am a fighter .........

Coping skills are the best for her.....reading.....breathing......playing board games and her friends as well as WE talk about everything
She also has an adopted sis from HW that is here at this moment that she really opens up to and gets stuff out to which helps

Rehab has asked you a few questions already about your daughter .......which are pertinent

My Cait is doing great now and we have moved from a town that I stayed in with SO MANY bad and sad memories for so long so both of us are less anxious and looking forward to new adventures new things to do together........

I wish you all the best as well as your daughter

Keep posting and stay with us


LYN