Regina gathering addresses childhood anxiety

Parents, professionals and caregivers gathered in Regina on Sunday to learn about childhood anxiety.

Tania Johnson is a registered psychologist and the co-founder of the institute of childhood psychology, the organization who hosted the Helping Children Heal gathering.

She said childhood anxiety is on the rise and only one-in-five children are getting the help they need to address it.

"Are kids getting the help that they need? The answer right now is no," Johnson said.

Johnson noted cases of childhood anxiety may be on the rise due to more diagnoses, but it's also happening because people are more aware of the issue.

The gathering was designed to help parents and caregivers learn about the roots of anxiety.

"I'm hoping that parents are going to take home that really, we need to be treating anxiety holistically," she told CBC News.

She said in her practice, it's commonplace to see children who are prescribed medication for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) instead of more appropriate treatments for anxiety.

Sometimes, she said, anxiety displays itself as impulsivity and hyperactivity, which can lead to an ADHD diagnosis.

Johnson encouraged parents to take their time before jumping to a diagnosis for their child in order to treat their child in the right way.

She said anxiety can display itself in children in different ways, including avoiding school or social situations, where some children can have large temper tantrums or withdraw within themselves.

For parents who may be concerned about their child's anxiety levels, Johnson recommended allowing them more space to explore their feelings.

"I always say, as parents, let's first take a look at what's happening in our lives," Johnson said.

"As a family are we getting outside enough, how much are we using technology, how fast is this child's world moving, how many connected relationships does this child have?"

She said after assessing a child's living situation and nothing seems to be changing in terms of their anxiety level, professional help should be sought.

Johnson said conversations with doctors should also happen to rule out any other possible causes.

'We're just moving too quickly'

When asked if anything in today's day and age might be contributing to growing levels of anxiety, Johnson said things are happening just too quickly for children.

"It all boils down to the fact that we're just moving too quickly for kids," she said.

"Kids don't have enough time to just breathe and go 'hold on, who am I and who do I want to be in this world?'"

She said one way for the problem to be addressed is for society to slow down so people can provide children with the supports they need to figure out who they are and what they want to do in life.

With files from Amélia Machhour