Specific Phobias - Understanding Different Types of Anxiety
Learn more about Specific Phobias, its symptoms, reasons why it happens, how to get a diagnosis, and possible treatments for kids with this type of anxiety.
Do you have any memories of being scared when you were a child? Did you get really anxious whenever someone was around? Or maybe you were afraid of something specific, like spiders, clowns, or dogs.
It turns out that when these fears aren't just irrational; they can cause serious problems in our lives. Many phobias can even become full-blown disorders.
If you've got a child suffering from fear, you already know how debilitating it can be. But did you know that most phobias can be treated successfully with behavioural therapy or emotional intelligence learning?
What Are Specific Phobias?
The term "specific phobia" is what members of the medical community used to refer to a persistent and overpowering fear of one or more specific things or situations.
Anxiety sufferers often experience generalised anxiety as well as specific phobias. However, social anxiety disorder is the only other type of anxiety most common among young people.
Anxiety in children is very different than in adults. For example, kids don't have the same coping skills that we do when dealing with stress.
Typically, they are also considerably more prone to acting on impulse. This makes them vulnerable to acting rashly and emotionally rather than rationally.
In turn, this makes them feel powerless to control their feelings. Stress manifests itself physically through sweating, shaking, and palpitations.
Children with specific phobias usually develop their fears during childhood. Some of the most common include:
Animals (such as snakes or spiders)
Heights (like stairs or ladders)
Blood/injections (like needles)
Claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces)
There are two types of specific phobias: physical and situational.
Physical phobias are when an actual object or situation causes the person to feel fearful. Concern for one's social standing might trigger the anxiety of situational phobia.
Individuals may suffer from situational phobia if they are terrified of a certain scenario, such as flying. You may not actually be afraid of flying, but you might be fearful of what other people will say about your fear of flying.
Examples of Specific Phobias in Children
Some common physical-specific phobias in children include:
Animals (such as snakes)
Heights (like high places)
Blood (like needles)
Water (like drowning)
Spiders
Flying (like flying)
Open spaces (like open windows)
Darkness (like dark rooms)
Some common situational-specific phobias in children:
Fear of rejection
Social fears
Fear of being perceived negatively
Agoraphobia
How Do Specific Phobias Impact Kids' Lives
Children with specific phobias have trouble functioning at school, at home, and socially. As a result, they may avoid certain activities, environments, or people. Unfortunately, this avoidance behaviour often leads to isolation and depression.
In addition, kids with specific phobias tend to be very sensitive to their environment.
For example, they might startle and cry if they hear footsteps outside their door. If they see a spider on the wall, they might scream. These reactions make life difficult for the child and his/her family.
In some cases, kids with specific phobias will try to control their fears by avoiding anything associated with the feared object or situation. Feelings of guilt and shame may result.
Day-to-day impacts on kids
Kids with specific phobias experience a wide range of emotions. Some days they're fine, while others are extremely anxious.
They may also have difficulty sleeping. So there's a chance that they'll be awake all night long.
Disrupted sleep is damaging to a child's development. It affects learning, memory, attention, and concentration.
This can lead to academic problems and behavioural issues.
Long-term impacts on kids
Phobias can last throughout childhood and into adulthood. Therefore, early intervention is optimal for a child's development.
Kids with specific phobias had higher rates of academic difficulties, social difficulties and mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
When left untreated, phobias can develop into panic attacks, agoraphobia, and OCD. However, these ailments can also be the cause of specific phobias, which is just a symptom of other conditions.
How Specific Phobias Change Over Time
Most kids outgrow their specific phobias over time.
However, some don't get rid of their fears completely. Your child's anxiety may become even more severe as a result, and this can lead to a host of problems down the road.
Here's what anxiety looks like in kids when specific phobias worsen over time:
Panic Attacks
If your kid has a specific phobia, they may have panic attacks. Panic attacks happen when you suddenly feel like you're having a heart attack.
As a result, they may have symptoms such as fainting, lightheadedness, difficulty breathing, increased perspiration, and trembling hands. In addition, their body may feel numb. They may start to think something is seriously wrong with their sanity.
Your child may not know why they're feeling this way. They may tell you it's just nerves. However, you should take your kid to the doctor if you see any changes in his behaviour.
Anxiety Disorders
If your child has a specific phobia that doesn't go away, they may develop an anxiety disorder. Those suffering from anxiety disorders tend to worry and fear a lot.
Your child may become overly worried about things that aren't really dangerous. For example, they may be afraid of spiders because they saw one once. But they won't be able to identify any real danger from them.
They may also be afraid of dogs, clowns, or heights. But, again, they may think these things are dangerous, but they're actually harmless.
Rigid Obsessions
If your child has rigid obsessions, they'll always find themselves thinking about certain thoughts. For example, they may obsess about being contaminated by germs or getting sick.
They might also obsess about doing bad things. For example, they may think about hurting someone or stealing money.
Compulsions
If your child has compulsive behaviours, they'll do things without realising it. For example, they may compulsively count objects, touch things repeatedly, or repeat words.
These behaviours are often done to try to reassure themselves that nothing bad will happen.
How do kids handle or deal with Specific Phobias?
There is no cure for specific phobias. There are ways to manage them, though. Families and kids with behavioural specific phobias need to learn how to cope with their fears.
Follow these pointers:
Discuss your child's worries with them. Ask them what makes them scared. If they feel safe talking to you, then ask them questions.
Encourage them to create spaces and relax regularly. Take some slow, deep breaths and practise other forms of deep relaxation. Slow, deep breathing, releasing muscle tension, and visualising positive outcomes are all techniques that can help. Each day, they should set aside at least five minutes to unwind.
Make sure your child knows where to seek help. In the event that they ever feel as though they are experiencing a panic attack, have them call for emergency assistance.
Instil in your child’s understanding that their emotions are perfectly normal and healthy. It's natural to have anxious feelings every once in a while.
Can kids grow out of Specific Phobias?
Yes! Kids with specific phobias usually grow out of them as they age.
It takes time, patience, and persistence. Some kids will never fully overcome their fears. Some kids will always struggle with their fears.
No matter the circumstances, it is essential that parents encourage their children to confront their anxieties head-on.
At what age do Specific Phobias usually go away?
Most kids who have specific phobias will eventually grow out of them.
However, some kids will continue to struggle with their fears into adulthood.
The earlier you can start helping your child, the better off they'll be.
There is no one age for a specific phobia to go away; it can depend on the child, the phobia, and other aspects of your kid's mental well-being.
For example, some children with OCD develop specific phobias, as well as children with anxiety disorders. How anxiety impacts kids can differ from child to child.
Specific phobias may also occur as a result of traumas. In these instances, your child's phobias will likely be linked to understanding and managing their conditions.
How to prevent Specific Phobias lasting through to adulthood
You can't prevent a kid from developing a specific phobia. However, you can teach your child how to cope with their fear.
This includes teaching them relaxation skills and learning to recognize when they're feeling anxious.
You can also teach your child to share their worries with others. This helps them gain more confidence in themselves.
As your child grows up, they'll naturally begin to face new challenges. It will assist if you encourage them to try new things and take chances.
Encourage them to try new things. Help them to explore their surroundings. Teach them to use positive self-talk. Remind them that they're not alone.
As long as your child learns to cope with their fears, they'll be able to live happy and healthy lives.
However, just because specific phobias can go away over time doesn't mean they will without a little help.
How to Help Kids with Anxiety and Specific Phobias
If your child has a specific phobia, treatment options are available.
Treatments for Specific Phobias include:
Behavioural Therapy
This treatment involves exposure therapy. Exposure therapy teaches your child to face her fears head-on.
Exposure therapy shows the most promise when paired with other forms of treatment. They learn to face their fears one by one until they no longer feel threatened.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT focuses on changing your child's beliefs about his fears. Your child can benefit from this form of therapy by replacing negative thought patterns with more constructive ones.
For example, they may believe that they'll die if they get bitten by a spider. This belief could lead them to avoid situations that involve spiders.
Your child would instead focus on learning more about spiders. They read books about them, watch videos about them, and talk to people who know about them.
Emotional Education
Some kids with specific phobias need emotional education. Emotional education teaches your child how to manage their emotions.
It also helps them understand why their fears happen. When they understands this, they won't feel afraid anymore.
Medication
Sometimes medication is necessary to treat specific phobias.
In most cases, however, medications aren't used unless other methods haven't worked. They're usually prescribed only after other therapies have been tried.
The goal of medicine is to reduce or eliminate symptoms. It does this by calming your child down. It also makes him less sensitive to stress.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is another way to treat specific phobias.
Like other forms of psychotherapy, it helps your child learn to deal with his fears.
It also helps your child develop coping strategies that help them deal better with experiences as they happen.
First, they'll learn to identify the triggers of their fears. Then they'll discover ways to control those triggers.
They'll also learn to relax during stressful times. Finally, they'll learn how to handle anxiety attacks. And they'll learn how to cope with panic attacks.
Self-Help
Finally, you can teach your child how to cope with his fears.
This means helping them learn relaxation techniques. It also means helping them practise these techniques whenever they need to. Unwinding is a skill that can be challenging to acquire. However, keep in mind that everybody gets scared sometimes.
Key Takeaways
In conclusion, specific phobias are very common among children, but fortunately, most go away on their own without any treatment.
However, if your child has a severe fear of spiders, snakes, heights, flying, etc., they may benefit from therapy. Talk to their doctor about which treatments might work best for him and make use of helpful online tools.
Your child can gain a deeper understanding of their feelings as a result of this. In addition, this can help them rationalise their way through fears so they can better understand what triggers them and how to prevent them from hampering their quality of life.
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