Comments on: About http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com Support for families raising children with anxiety and mood disorders Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:47:22 +0000 hourly 1 By: The Raising Socially Anxious Children Blog » Blog Archive » Join Kids & Company at their inaugural Parenting Conference! http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/about/comment-page-1/#comment-42411 The Raising Socially Anxious Children Blog » Blog Archive » Join Kids & Company at their inaugural Parenting Conference! Mon, 31 Oct 2011 02:22:42 +0000 http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/?page_id=4#comment-42411 [...] About [...] [...] About [...]

]]> By: admin http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/about/comment-page-1/#comment-41741 admin Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:28:22 +0000 http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/?page_id=4#comment-41741 Hi Maggie, I'm glad that you found the blog too and I'm super excited that you found some resources on here that could be useful to you. My personal view on medication is that if you can find the source of the trouble then go there first and then see where you land. I know for myself and my daughter we have learned a lot about why and how her body works the way it does and we have chosen to go a more naturopathic route. Both she and I have used a homeopathic remedy for our anxiety. We are lucky because it has worked but we also have been working with a plethora of professionals. We currently work with a chiropractor (because my C1, C2 makes me dizzy which provokes a panic attack for me and Sydney), we work along with a naturopath, we keep track of her PH levels and try to keep candida at bay. All of these things and more cause major anxiety for her. So with a combination of the above and some CBT therapy previously and other anxiety tools we've gotten her to where she is today. It's not an easy task because each individual is so different. I think you are wise to keep an open mind on everything so as to give your daughter the best possible outcome. Have you ever tried any CBT therapy or things like that? Hope this helps Maggie. Thanks for sharing here at the blog and if you have any further questions please ask! Sounds like your daughter is very lucky to have a parent who is so in tune with her needs and is so involved with her success. Darlene Hi Maggie,
I’m glad that you found the blog too and I’m super excited that you found some resources on here that could be useful to you. My personal view on medication is that if you can find the source of the trouble then go there first and then see where you land. I know for myself and my daughter we have learned a lot about why and how her body works the way it does and we have chosen to go a more naturopathic route. Both she and I have used a homeopathic remedy for our anxiety. We are lucky because it has worked but we also have been working with a plethora of professionals. We currently work with a chiropractor (because my C1, C2 makes me dizzy which provokes a panic attack for me and Sydney), we work along with a naturopath, we keep track of her PH levels and try to keep candida at bay. All of these things and more cause major anxiety for her. So with a combination of the above and some CBT therapy previously and other anxiety tools we’ve gotten her to where she is today. It’s not an easy task because each individual is so different. I think you are wise to keep an open mind on everything so as to give your daughter the best possible outcome.
Have you ever tried any CBT therapy or things like that?
Hope this helps Maggie.
Thanks for sharing here at the blog and if you have any further questions please ask!
Sounds like your daughter is very lucky to have a parent who is so in tune with her needs and is so involved with her success.

Darlene

]]> By: Maggie http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/about/comment-page-1/#comment-41624 Maggie Mon, 24 Oct 2011 03:30:08 +0000 http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/?page_id=4#comment-41624 Hi Darlene, I'm so glad I stumbled upon your blog; I already feel so much better after reading a few entries and have bookmarked several links in your resource section. My daughter is 11 and has always been an anxious child; however she experienced a dramatic and unmanageable surge in her symptoms in the middle of her fifth grade year. She was then diagnosed with GAD, Separation and Social anxiety (no surprise) ,and with a most recent second assessment, with OCD and Depression. She is undergoing counselling and has been prescribed Prozac. We are reluctant to try an antidepressant because there is a family history of Bipolar and she is also very symptomatic of this. I am currently homeschooling her and our curriculum includes alot of self-esteem building activities and life skills. We would like to avoid medication at this stage in her development but are not closing the door on it for the future. I'm wondering if you have any thoughts on medication? Thanks, Maggie Hi Darlene,

I’m so glad I stumbled upon your blog; I already feel so much better after reading a few entries and have bookmarked several links in your resource section. My daughter is 11 and has always been an anxious child; however she experienced a dramatic and unmanageable surge in her symptoms in the middle of her fifth grade year. She was then diagnosed with GAD, Separation and Social anxiety (no surprise) ,and with a most recent second assessment, with OCD and Depression. She is undergoing counselling and has been prescribed Prozac. We are reluctant to try an antidepressant because there is a family history of Bipolar and she is also very symptomatic of this. I am currently homeschooling her and our curriculum includes alot of self-esteem building activities and life skills. We would like to avoid medication at this stage in her development but are not closing the door on it for the future. I’m wondering if you have any thoughts on medication?

Thanks,

Maggie

]]> By: admin http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/about/comment-page-1/#comment-36904 admin Mon, 16 May 2011 23:29:40 +0000 http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/?page_id=4#comment-36904 Jennifer, Thank you so much for sharing a part of your life with our readers at on the blog. Your struggles sound a lot like the things in which we have been through over the years. It so resonated with me when you said that you daughter has enough by the end of the day. Quite often we find the same with Sydney too. We find that she just has given it so much during the day that when she gets home it’s her time to just let it all go. It can look like crying or slamming doors, yelling or just being very quiet. We always reassure her that what she’s feeling is a really uncomfortable feeling and that it’s okay to have those feelings and when she’s ready we can talk about other ways to deal with it instead of it looking so emotional. You know when you have so much stress about everything you do it really is a no wonder that they fall apart later in the day! It is so difficult to see our children going through times like this but what we have to remember is that there is hope and by being an engaged and supportive parent we are doing a lot for our children. If we stifled them and reprimanded them we would be doing them no good. I remember one of our therapists once said that with anxiety you do run in waves. Sometimes you go two steps forward and one step back but the times in between will get longer and easier and more manageable. There has been a ton of resentment with my son towards Sydney and for the longest time I couldn’t rectify it in his head with words that we love each of them equally but let’s face it it’s the squeaky wheel that gets the oil. We make sure that he gets adequate time with us and I’ve explained to him how her brain works a little differently and in certain situations she tries hard but finds difficulty in all the things that he has no problem with. You know it really is all about finding peace isn’t it? And it seems so easy for some families. Know you are most definitely not alone in this. I hope this helped you a bit and I hope it has opened up a new door to support. As a parent we have to remember ourselves in the mix too. I would love to know what kind of support I could help provide for you here on the blog. I’m thinking about a support group online, I’m thinking about a couple other things too but if you’re interested what would help you most? Again, thank you for letting me step into your life and sharing in this challenging role of parenting a child with special needs and concerns. I hope to hear from you soon, Darlene Jennifer,
Thank you so much for sharing a part of your life with our readers at on the blog. Your struggles sound a lot like the things in which we have been through over the years. It so resonated with me when you said that you daughter has enough by the end of the day. Quite often we find the same with Sydney too. We find that she just has given it so much during the day that when she gets home it’s her time to just let it all go. It can look like crying or slamming doors, yelling or just being very quiet. We always reassure her that what she’s feeling is a really uncomfortable feeling and that it’s okay to have those feelings and when she’s ready we can talk about other ways to deal with it instead of it looking so emotional. You know when you have so much stress about everything you do it really is a no wonder that they fall apart later in the day!

It is so difficult to see our children going through times like this but what we have to remember is that there is hope and by being an engaged and supportive parent we are doing a lot for our children. If we stifled them and reprimanded them we would be doing them no good. I remember one of our therapists once said that with anxiety you do run in waves. Sometimes you go two steps forward and one step back but the times in between will get longer and easier and more manageable.
There has been a ton of resentment with my son towards Sydney and for the longest time I couldn’t rectify it in his head with words that we love each of them equally but let’s face it it’s the squeaky wheel that gets the oil. We make sure that he gets adequate time with us and I’ve explained to him how her brain works a little differently and in certain situations she tries hard but finds difficulty in all the things that he has no problem with.

You know it really is all about finding peace isn’t it? And it seems so easy for some families. Know you are most definitely not alone in this. I hope this helped you a bit and I hope it has opened up a new door to support. As a parent we have to remember ourselves in the mix too. I would love to know what kind of support I could help provide for you here on the blog. I’m thinking about a support group online, I’m thinking about a couple other things too but if you’re interested what would help you most?

Again, thank you for letting me step into your life and sharing in this challenging role of parenting a child with special needs and concerns. I hope to hear from you soon,

Darlene

]]> By: jennifer http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/about/comment-page-1/#comment-36822 jennifer Sun, 15 May 2011 17:12:58 +0000 http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/?page_id=4#comment-36822 My daughter is 8 years old and from the time she was about 1 1/2 - 2 years old we knew something was different. Over the years, we saw Drs, Pediatricians, Counselors, Pyschologists, Psychiatrists, Naturepaths. Finally, at the age of 7, I did some more research & found BC Childrens Hospital would do an in-patient assessment so we got a refferral and spent 5 weeks there. I really thought she had a mood disorder, especially bipolar, as these things do run rampant in our family. It was a long go, but after 5 weeks, intensive learning by us (her parents), and learning for her as well, they came to the conclusion that she has an anxiety disorder (I have GAD). We were taught how to handle her in certain situations and we have followed through with this since we came home last October. Now over the last 2 weeks, we've noticed she is acting out again at home big time, just like before the hospital. We haven't done anything different and she doesn't like to talk about what is bothering her, or sometimes she just doesn't know & we need to use our "detective skills" to find out, something she helps us with too. I think she isn't getting enough support at school & by the time she comes home she's wiped out and completely dysregulated. She is very hard to deal with when she's like that, so she's to go to her room to calm down, and then we can try to talk. It's so hard for her and I feel so bad. She tries so hard to keep it all together at school, all her little worries build & build. It's hard to keep friends because she loses her temper. I feel so sad for her. We were doing so good since October (the hospital). Our home was a happy calm home finally. And then now, I feel like what do I do? Everything was working so well and now it seems it's not working at all. She does see a counsellor once a week so I will be talking to him. I know she feels different and she gets left out alot lately. The neighbours have a bunch of kids over and she feels so left out and sad. It breaks my heart. How can I help my baby? This doesn't only affect her. She has an 11 year old brother as well (he doesn't have anxiety) and it is so hard on him because she is always wanting & needing and he seems to get lost in it all. My husband & I try so hard to keep it all together. I just don't want this to affect my son's childhood either. It seems as though it's a constant battle and as she grows, the more worries she gets. My daughter is 8 years old and from the time she was about 1 1/2 – 2 years old we knew something was different. Over the years, we saw Drs, Pediatricians, Counselors, Pyschologists, Psychiatrists, Naturepaths. Finally, at the age of 7, I did some more research & found BC Childrens Hospital would do an in-patient assessment so we got a refferral and spent 5 weeks there. I really thought she had a mood disorder, especially bipolar, as these things do run rampant in our family.
It was a long go, but after 5 weeks, intensive learning by us (her parents), and learning for her as well, they came to the conclusion that she has an anxiety disorder (I have GAD). We were taught how to handle her in certain situations and we have followed through with this since we came home last October. Now over the last 2 weeks, we’ve noticed she is acting out again at home big time, just like before the hospital. We haven’t done anything different and she doesn’t like to talk about what is bothering her, or sometimes she just doesn’t know & we need to use our “detective skills” to find out, something she helps us with too. I think she isn’t getting enough support at school & by the time she comes home she’s wiped out and completely dysregulated. She is very hard to deal with when she’s like that, so she’s to go to her room to calm down, and then we can try to talk. It’s so hard for her and I feel so bad. She tries so hard to keep it all together at school, all her little worries build & build. It’s hard to keep friends because she loses her temper. I feel so sad for her. We were doing so good since October (the hospital). Our home was a happy calm home finally. And then now, I feel like what do I do? Everything was working so well and now it seems it’s not working at all. She does see a counsellor once a week so I will be talking to him. I know she feels different and she gets left out alot lately. The neighbours have a bunch of kids over and she feels so left out and sad. It breaks my heart. How can I help my baby? This doesn’t only affect her. She has an 11 year old brother as well (he doesn’t have anxiety) and it is so hard on him because she is always wanting & needing and he seems to get lost in it all. My husband & I try so hard to keep it all together. I just don’t want this to affect my son’s childhood either. It seems as though it’s a constant battle and as she grows, the more worries she gets.

]]> By: admin http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/about/comment-page-1/#comment-35661 admin Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:59:58 +0000 http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/?page_id=4#comment-35661 Mary, Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your own experiences here on the blog. It is comments like yours that make me realize how important it is to have support whatever that should look like. If you ever have any questions that I may be able to answer please do not hesitate to ask and as well if there is a specific topic or question that you have that I could try to source out the answer for as well please feel free to ask it. I may not have the answers but I will try my best to find them. Sounds like you have been through quite a journey with your daughter. My daughter is just starting to get headaches and we've just started seeing a chiropractor in August of last year. When she saw her scan she wasn't surprised and her exact words to me were, "I don't like putting people with labels but if I were to try and explain what the spine of an anxiety ridden child would look like this is it!". I did notice that when we tried to move her to every two weeks instead of every week her whole demeanour completely tanked. The crying, the mood swings, the inability to cope with everyday situations was unbelievable. We have put her back to every week. I think that often too Mary about enjoying life. I see all the other kids running around and hanging out and laughing and see her walking around alone and it breaks my heart. We can only be in the moment with them though and not worry about the future because we never know what it holds. Sounds to me like you are doing everything you can and the fact that you're sourcing out information to try and help you understand is what being a dedicated and proactive parent is all about. I hope you give yourself a pat on the back for being that involved. So remember anything I can try and help with please just give me a shout. Check out my facebook page too. There is suppor there as well. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=7457751633 Take care, Darlene Mary,
Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your own experiences here on the blog. It is comments like yours that make me realize how important it is to have support whatever that should look like. If you ever have any questions that I may be able to answer please do not hesitate to ask and as well if there is a specific topic or question that you have that I could try to source out the answer for as well please feel free to ask it. I may not have the answers but I will try my best to find them.
Sounds like you have been through quite a journey with your daughter. My daughter is just starting to get headaches and we’ve just started seeing a chiropractor in August of last year. When she saw her scan she wasn’t surprised and her exact words to me were, “I don’t like putting people with labels but if I were to try and explain what the spine of an anxiety ridden child would look like this is it!”. I did notice that when we tried to move her to every two weeks instead of every week her whole demeanour completely tanked. The crying, the mood swings, the inability to cope with everyday situations was unbelievable. We have put her back to every week.
I think that often too Mary about enjoying life. I see all the other kids running around and hanging out and laughing and see her walking around alone and it breaks my heart. We can only be in the moment with them though and not worry about the future because we never know what it holds. Sounds to me like you are doing everything you can and the fact that you’re sourcing out information to try and help you understand is what being a dedicated and proactive parent is all about. I hope you give yourself a pat on the back for being that involved.
So remember anything I can try and help with please just give me a shout.
Check out my facebook page too. There is suppor there as well. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=7457751633

Take care,
Darlene

]]> By: Mary http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/about/comment-page-1/#comment-35542 Mary Sat, 23 Apr 2011 03:56:32 +0000 http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/?page_id=4#comment-35542 Hello, I'm delighted to hear that your daughter is doing well. I have a 16 year old who started having panic attacks and anxiety when she was 11. She was diagnosed with GAD when she was 13. She's been on zoloft and a few other "as needed" medicines; she also has migraines and has been hospitalized 3 times for pnemonia. She's had an MRI to try and determine the causes of the migraines--the doctor concluded that it was the anxiety. We've been through 6 therapists/psychologists and 2 psychiatrists, one of whom charged $400 an hour!! We're starting with a new therapist in the next few weeks...well, maybe. I'm really losing hope that they can help. She continues to have fairly severe anxiety about 2-3 times a week. It prevents her from doing normal things, like going to church or to school dances. She may have social anxiety too, as big crowds can intimidate her. Most of her anxiety, though, is school related. She begs and begs for home schooling. I've told her she needs to hang in there until college, and then she can go online if she wants. Frankly, I'm worried that she'll never really make it in the real world. Of course, I love her to pieces and our home will always be her home if she needs it. But I do hope that she's able to enjoy life a little more in the future, that she goes to school, gets married... I don't have any anxiety worth noting. It's very hard for me to understand this, which is why I'm glad to have found your blog. It's helpful to talk to adults who have anxiety too, simply because they can verbalize it a little better than a child. I look forward to reading back postings and to looking over the websites you recommend. Best, Mary Hello,

I’m delighted to hear that your daughter is doing well.

I have a 16 year old who started having panic attacks and anxiety when she was 11. She was diagnosed with GAD when she was 13. She’s been on zoloft and a few other “as needed” medicines; she also has migraines and has been hospitalized 3 times for pnemonia. She’s had an MRI to try and determine the causes of the migraines–the doctor concluded that it was the anxiety.

We’ve been through 6 therapists/psychologists and 2 psychiatrists, one of whom charged $400 an hour!! We’re starting with a new therapist in the next few weeks…well, maybe. I’m really losing hope that they can help.

She continues to have fairly severe anxiety about 2-3 times a week. It prevents her from doing normal things, like going to church or to school dances. She may have social anxiety too, as big crowds can intimidate her. Most of her anxiety, though, is school related. She begs and begs for home schooling. I’ve told her she needs to hang in there until college, and then she can go online if she wants. Frankly, I’m worried that she’ll never really make it in the real world. Of course, I love her to pieces and our home will always be her home if she needs it. But I do hope that she’s able to enjoy life a little more in the future, that she goes to school, gets married…

I don’t have any anxiety worth noting. It’s very hard for me to understand this, which is why I’m glad to have found your blog. It’s helpful to talk to adults who have anxiety too, simply because they can verbalize it a little better than a child. I look forward to reading back postings and to looking over the websites you recommend.

Best,

Mary

]]> By: Kim http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/about/comment-page-1/#comment-20504 Kim Fri, 21 May 2010 19:04:55 +0000 http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/?page_id=4#comment-20504 Hi there, I'm happy to have found this site. My son is almost four and has selective mutism. I've been blogging about it at findingvoices.blogspot.com. I hope to following your blog and stay in touch! Kim My email is kim@greenquill.com Hi there,
I’m happy to have found this site. My son is almost four and has selective mutism. I’ve been blogging about it at findingvoices.blogspot.com. I hope to following your blog and stay in touch!

Kim

My email is kim@greenquill.com

]]> By: Marianne http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/about/comment-page-1/#comment-3726 Marianne Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:31:17 +0000 http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/?page_id=4#comment-3726 I am also a parent of a child with a severe anxiety and mood disorder. As you can read on my blog, it has been a very very long road. I have also started a blog forum for teens with anxiety and mood disorders as well as other isolating illnessess to discuss their feelings in a safe and monitored forum. Her is a link http://teentoteenplace.blogspot.com/ I would be very interested in sharing thoughts and ideas. Please contact me at sunrise959@aol.com I am also a parent of a child with a severe anxiety and mood disorder. As you can read on my blog, it has been a very very long road. I have also started a blog forum for teens with anxiety and mood disorders as well as other isolating illnessess to discuss their feelings in a safe and monitored forum. Her is a link

http://teentoteenplace.blogspot.com/

I would be very interested in sharing thoughts and ideas.

Please contact me at sunrise959@aol.com

]]> By: kate http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/about/comment-page-1/#comment-1311 kate Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:38:16 +0000 http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/?page_id=4#comment-1311 how did you get your daughter diagnosed? though not a professional, i believe that my daughter suffers from some kind of anxiety disorder. i have sought help from a local paediatric counselling organization, but all they seem to do is have my husband and i jump through hoops. they have presented no solutions to the problems we went to them for. they appear to be creating a paper trail to cover themselves while my family crumbles. i think we need treatment, not counselling and i am not sure where to turn for this. quickly. any sugestions you have would be helpful. thanks. how did you get your daughter diagnosed? though not a professional, i believe that my daughter suffers from some kind of anxiety disorder. i have sought help from a local paediatric counselling organization, but all they seem to do is have my husband and i jump through hoops. they have presented no solutions to the problems we went to them for. they appear to be creating a paper trail to cover themselves while my family crumbles.
i think we need treatment, not counselling and i am not sure where to turn for this. quickly. any sugestions you have would be helpful. thanks.

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