So glad this was helpful, it’s so incredibly easy to miss the signs. It really is, so focus on moving forward to support your child and remember we’re all doing the best we can with the information we have:).

I would recommend bringing her to see a mental health therapist/counselor who specializes with children. There are also several resources linked in this article.

Take care,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree that environmental factors do play in, but there is almost always a genetic predisposition that intersects with environment…which is what you’re saying with hsp’s. They are more prone to anxiety (on a biological level) and also agree that sensitive kiddos are not supported as they should be in our schools and society.

However, I’d have to disagree that ‘more often than not’ parents and environmental variables are ‘to blame’ for anxiety. As a mental health professional and a mom to kids with anxiety, attributing anxiety only to a parents choices/environment is not accurate in any way. There are many factors that play into anxiety as a condition- one almost always being a genetic predisposition. This is not speculation, but science. I think this open dialogue is a great place to point out the stigma and isolation so many parents of kids who deal with mental health challenges experience. It is an overwhelming and stressful situation to begin with and when you add others criticisms and unfounded judgements it makes the load so much heavier. As discussion and acceptance of mental health continues to grow there is still a lot of assumption and misinformation out there. Many parents of kids with mental health diagnosis’ are very intentional conscious parents doing their best to put into place strategies that research indicates help mitigate anxiety such as behavioral therapy (cognitive behavioral techniques), physical Health interventions such as diet sleep exercise, mindfulness as well as medication when needed.

Just as any health condition would, sometimes a mental health condition requires medication- everyone experiences anxiety to different degree. Some children can practice mindfulness techniques and CBT and free relief, others find themselves in a state of crisis living almost completely in an over-aroused state of fight or flight.

After a tremendously stressful year of exhausting dozens of behavioral and homeopathic interventions, we started our daughter on anxiety medication and it was life-changing. Our only regret is that we didn’t start sooner. Should it be the first resort? Certainly NOT as I am as conservative as they come with medicating children,but research indicates that the most effective approach for moderate to severe anxiety is behavioral therapy and medication (when behavioral therapy and physical interaventions such as diet, exersize ect alone aren’t effective).

I sure hope medication is not a means of treatment for a child’s anxiety. More often than not, I feel it’s a condition that points to an imbalance in the home environment. If a parent deals with anxiety, highly sensitive children can pick up on it and sense that there is reason to feel unsafe. Overall, this society does not support highly sensitive children. It is recognized as irregular and in need of fixing. More often than not, it is the parents who lack the time, patience and skills to accept and support these children for who/how they are. Such a sad reality.

Yes, more schools are catching on to the idea that behavior is communication but changing big institutions takes lots of time:/. Sounds like you have many amazing supports for your son and so glad to hear you are already seeing some progress and relief for him.