Anxiety is real, but labelling too many children can be damaging

There is lots of evidence that these issues are very serious for some children - with a rise in suicides and record high numbers of referrals to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). We in no way want to underplay this. However, mental health problems and anxiety have become common ways for children to define themselves. There is potential though, that this generation of children have simply been deprived of hope, optimism and a language/narrative of their lives that values what they can do rather than focusing on what they can’t. 

In addition, so many parents are struggling with real anxiety about how to keep a roof over their heads and feed their families. There is a risk this gets projected onto children and combines to make for risk of children carrying the weight of worry, being labelled and defining and believing that they have a personality trait of an anxiety that is permanent. 

Here at Jamie’s Farm, we see almost unbelievable transformations of anxious children who are failing to thrive in a relatively short space of time. Here they become outgoing, positive and capable. We regularly hear teachers say; ‘I don't recognise this child’. Why is this? Perhaps because we focus on the positives, their strengths and assets; giving them opportunities to feel capable, see tangible results, and fostering a positive feedback loop from their peers - all of this enables a shift in mind set and building of confidence. 

Labels can be disempowering and pathologising, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Children who label themselves as anxious can become self-limiting. Social science research (Rosenthal and Jacobson, 1968) showed that children's performance was enhanced if teachers were led to expect enhanced performance from them. The opposite was also true; if teachers were led to expect lower performance from children, then the children's performance would be diminished. They called this the ‘Pygmalion’ effect.

In families, children often fulfil the systemic function of being either 'good’, ‘bad', the worrier, the high achiever, whatever space there is for them to occupy and then continue to fulfil these applied expectations. I have no doubt that today’s children are suffering from lack of hope and celebration of their innate talents as often deluged with negative social media, visions of unobtainable goals, and surrounded by dread and toxicity of messaging about the state of the world and its future. Childhood has been an invaded space. 

Yet, given children are so malleable and capable of change, we can work more actively in communities schools and homes to bring back some joy. Jamie’s Farm shows that when we create the social structures for children to interact with positive adults, they build a more positive view of themselves. Many lower-level mental health struggles dissolve when given the opportunity to redefine themselves. Anxiety dissipates when the building blocks of success become the pathway. Immersive experiences for children that develop their social, emotional and physical wellbeing change their view of themselves.

Could school curriculums allow for more tangible, universal opportunities for success? Could schools themselves create the conditions of safety and belonging? Could we all (adults and children) put aside the digital diversions regularly enough to concentrate on valuing human interactions?

Could we support teachers to not feel alone in the responsibility for resolving this crisis of confidence in the younger generation?

Tish Fielden is director of therapeutic education at Jamie’s Farm