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MYTH 1- ANXIETY DISORDERS IN CHILDREN AND TEENS ARE RARE.
Sadly, anxiety disorders in children are common, and the number of children diagnosed continues to rise. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 7.1% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 4.4 million) have an anxiety disorder.
Yes, you read that correctly. That means that 7-8 out of 100 children have an anxiety disorder that has been diagnosed. This does not factor in children who experience anxiety but have not been diagnosed with a disorder.

MYTH 2- ANXIETY IN CHILDREN IS A RESULT OF POOR PARENTING.
While parenting style and personality will always have an impact on all children, parents do not cause anxiety in their child. Anxiety is a biological predisposition that lies within a child’s DNA. Not all children who are predisposed will develop anxiety, but those who do become anxious, do so due to a number of factors.
I have two children, one with an anxiety disorder and one without. Both of my children were raised in the same home, with the same parents, under nearly the same conditions. My husband and I were not the cause of our daughter’s anxiety.
It is important for parents to be aware of their role in raising a child with anxiety, but you should never feel that you are the cause of your child’s anxiety.

MYTH 3- A CHILD CAN STOP BEING ANXIOUS IF HE OR SHE WANTS TO.
Anxiety is not a rational thought that can be turned off. No child or teen wants to be anxious, but without useful skills, anxiety will continue to course through their bodies creating continued feelings of anxiety.
When someone is telling a child to “stop being anxious”, “calm down”, or “just relax”, he or she is making an assumption that this is a feeling that is easily turned off. It simply does not work this way.
No matter how irrational the thought or fear being expressed by the child, no amount of explanation from a parent or caregiver will be able to convince a child to turn off the anxiety.

MYTH 4- ANXIETY MEANS A CHILD IS WEAK AND LAZY.
Just the opposite. Children and teens with anxiety are brave and hardworking. Each day they wake up with their minds full of unpleasant thoughts and feelings. It takes true courage to move through life feeling weighed down by scary, uncomfortable thoughts.
Even when anxiety takes over, and a child or teen withdraws and avoids, weakness and laziness are not the reason for this behaviour. Mentally and physically, they are not able to move through their anxiety because they lack the skills and support they desperately need.

MYTH 5- ANXIETY IS A RESULT OF SOMETHING BAD HAPPENING TO THE CHILD.
For some children and teens, anxiety is a result of a specific event or incident that lead to the anxiety they are experiencing. A child who has a phobia of dogs may have encountered a scary incident with a dog at some point. Yet, a child with separation anxiety has most likely never had an event that lead to their fear of being away from their parent.
In many cases, anxiety is a biological predisposition set in a child’s DNA that can be influenced by their environment`. The varying types of anxiety are simply a part of who they are. With this said, like many disorders and illnesses, there are treatments available to manage the anxiety and allow the child to live a happy, successful life.

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