The blast of a car horn, the heat of a lit match and flashing red lights can trigger healthy fear — alerting us to danger and keeping us safe. But too much fear can lead to crippling anxiety — from real and imagined things — and disrupt normal life.
A phobia of a dark room can prevent a child from sleeping, racing thoughts can lead to sleepless nights and separation anxiety can keep parents from much needed alone time.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States and affect more than 40 million people, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. A complex blend of genetics, brain chemistry, personality and life events can make parents or children more at risk for anxiety disorders or depression.
Treatment and prevention can range from regular exercise and visiting a therapist to hormone and drug therapy. Understanding the roots of anxiety disorders and overwhelming fears can help families have honest conversations about emotional distress and find a healthier balance.
New mommies
After a body-morphing pregnancy and hours of labor, mothers are tasked with the challenge of tending to the needs of a fragile newborn. Add a lack of sleep and fluctuating hormones to feedings and diaper changes, and you have a recipe for a stressed-out mama.
It’s no wonder 50 to 75 percent of new moms experience some negative feelings after giving birth, known as the “baby blues,” according to the American Pregnancy Association. But for a number of women, overwhelming feelings can last months instead of weeks. In some cases, symptoms don’t show up until weeks after the baby is born. The ADA reports that 15 percent of new moms experience postpartum depression, or PPD.
But because many people assume most new mothers are naturally anxious, postpartum anxiety disorders are much harder to identify and diagnose. With or without depression, about 10 percent of new moms have postpartum anxiety, or PPA, according to the association. Symptoms include changes in eating and sleeping, constant worry, impending fear and trouble focusing.
“Many clinicians would anecdotally tell you that they’ve seen anxious women after childbirth, but the important thing is that few people really talk about it,” said Ian Paul, a professor at Pennsylvania State University who researched postpartum anxiety disorders, in a university press release.
In Paul’s study of more than 1,000 new mothers with healthy newborns, he found that doctors rarely screened for postpartum anxiety and more than 1 in 6 women experience anxiety after childbirth. The study also found anxiety to be more common than depression.
“A lot of women aren’t sad, but they are anxious. Medical professionals and the lay public don’t talk about postpartum anxiety,” Paul says. “Mothers need to know that they’re not alone. That this is common.”
Additional risk factors for anxiety disorders include a history of depression, financial problems, an unwanted pregnancy or having a weak support system.
Once a doctor understands a mother’s condition, he or she can prescribe counseling, antidepressants or hormone therapy. Any postpartum psychosis is considered serious and should be treated immediately.
While care for a postpartum disorder should be managed by a doctor, here are some tips from the Mayo Clinic to supplement treatment:
• Make healthy lifestyle choices, such as eating healthy foods, walking and avoiding alcohol.
• Set realistic expectations and ask for help when needed.
• Make time for yourself or schedule alone time with your partner.
• Respond to negative situations with a positive mindset. You cannot change the situation, just your response.
• Avoid isolation. Build a support group of family and friends, fellow moms or join a social group. Talk openly about your feelings.
• Remember that taking care of yourself is the best way to take care of your baby.
Babies and children
Although developmental fears can be evidence that a child is learning and growing at a healthy pace, excessive anxiety in children can be cause for concern.
Developing a fear of strangers is a normal phase for babies 7–9 months. Babies begin clinging to their parents and become wary of other people around this time. Although it may cause some stress, the fear is showing that your baby can now distinguish between people she knows and doesn’t know.
Separation anxiety in children typically begins at 12 months to 18 months and develops as babies learn that things and people exist even when not within sight. Separation anxiety is exacerbated when a child is hungry, tired or sick, according to Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Swanson suggests creating quick good-bye rituals, being consistent with dropping off your child in another’s care, and practicing being apart from your child before starting preschool or day care.
“If a parent believes that their child has an excessive amount of fear or anxiety, the first person they should talk to is their pediatrician,” says Dennis Greenberger, a professor in the UC Irvine College of Medicine.
Children with generalized anxiety disorder worry constantly and have unrealistic fears about even the most routine activities. Symptoms of the disorder include fatigue, low risk-taking, “what if” concerns about the future, and paralyzing fears about making mistakes.
There is a wide spectrum of anxiety disorders that can affect children. Social phobia disorder is an extreme fear and withdrawal around groups of people.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, prompts hard-to-control repetitive thoughts or actions. Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, can also appear in children, not just adults, especially after experiencing the loss of a loved one, physical or sexual assault or a disaster.
How parents can help:
KidsHealth.org offers these ideas for helping your child deal with fear:
• Know that your child’s fear feels real, even if the cause is not.
• Talk with your child about his or her fear. Avoid just stating, “There are no monsters in your closet,” which may inhibit conversation while your child will remain scared.
• Do not avoid your child’s stressors. Instead, provide support and gentle care in these situations.
• Teach your child to cope through self-affirming statements (“I can do this”) or relaxation techniques (deep breathing or visualization).
