Help for Worried Kids: How Your Child Can Conquer Anxiety and Fear
Mixing case histories with clinical research, Last shows parents how to tell the difference between common childhood fears (e.g., monsters under the bed) and more serious psychological problems (e.g., separation anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder). The author, a clinical psychologist and expert on anxiety disorders, relies heavily on anecdotes from children suffering from anxiety disorders to illustrate the afflictions and how to handle them (in addition to the disorders mentioned earlier, Last also covers social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and specific phobias). While the sketches are well drawn, they are somewhat repetitive. The book is at its best when it offers parents "hands-on" information, such as the chart outlining ages when common childhood fears begin and another on the differences between children with anxiety disorders and children with ADHD. There is also valuable material on the connection between anxiety and physical symptoms such as headaches and stomach problems; the effects caffeine, sugar and environmental toxins can have on children; and the roles medical problems like allergies, asthma, hypothyroidism and diabetes can play in causing anxiety or making it worse. Concerned parents will find plenty of useful advice here for quelling their children's fears.(Jan. 23)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.