Book Review
What To Do When You're Scared & Worried: A Guide for Kids
By James J. Crist, Ph.D.

Reviewed by Bradley C. Riemann, Ph.D.
Rogers Memorial Hospital, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

Editor's Note: This book review should have appeared in the last edition of the Reporter. A previously published review was mistakenly printed in its place.

What To Do When You're Scared & Worried: A Guide for Kids is a self-help book written for children approximately nine years of age and older dealing with typical worries and fears or a diagnosable anxiety disorder. The author, Dr. James J. Crist, is a licensed clinical psychologist in Virginia at the Child and Family Counseling Center. This is Crist's fourth book.

The guide is divided into two parts. Part one focuses on "fears and worries most kids have." Chapter One discusses what other children are scared of and worry about and also includes a helpful "Fears and Worries" checklist for children to identify what frightens them. Chapter Two attempts to explain where fears come from and a body's expected reaction to them (e.g., "fight, flight, or freeze" reaction). A very good listing of common physical symptoms experienced during fear is included. Also discussed in Chapter Two is how the body and mind work together, sometimes producing a positive outcome and sometimes not, with respect to fear and worry.

Chapter Three introduces the reader to "Fear Chasers and Worry Erasers." These coping skills provide the reader with fairly easy to understand and to learn practical tools to combat worry and fear. Although some of these skills (e.g., basic cognitive therapy techniques) are better than others (e.g., use of distraction), Crist does a nice job of taking some difficult material and making it understandable and doable for children. Chapter Four discusses how to use written exercises to help ease worry and fear. He emphasizes "journal" writing and "Fear Scales" (i.e., a basic exposure hierarchy or a list of assignments to do to overcome any avoided situations or activities).

Part two describes fears that "are too hard to handle on your own" and warrant an anxiety disorder diagnosis. Crist covers the clinical presentations of phobias, separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in separate chapters. He concludes his guide with a chapter regarding "How Experts Can Help," a "Note to Grown-ups" and a resource list.

Overall, this is a very helpful resource for children dealing with anxiety and worry, whether typical or not. Crist does a great job normalizing the experience of anxiety for children (e.g., "you are not alone") and provides many helpful examples of the types of symptoms a particular type of anxiety or worry could produce. Crist also strongly encourages the use of a "grown-up" as a coach or helper while reading this guide and applying its strategies.

However, there are several issues I have with this guide mostly dealing with part two. Crist does not include information regarding the prevalence of these disorders in children (i.e., how common are they), or their typical age of onset. Also, several of the strategies suggested by Crist are questionable (e.g., encouraging a child with separation anxiety disorder to call their parents on their cell phone when separated; buying a weather radio for a child who fears storms). Some of the information that Crist provides is also inaccurate (e.g., someone having a panic attack is "not getting enough air," using as an example of a compulsion in OCD of asking a grown-up over and over again for something when the answer is no). I would like to have seen more in-depth and more positively toned discussion pertaining to medications. Medications are an effective alternative that many children have benefited from. Crist's description was brief and fairly negative (e.g., "may actually make problems worse").

Despite these problems, What To Do When You're Scared & Worried: A Guide for Kids is a useful resource for young children dealing with anxiety and worry. It probably could be used with children up to teenage years and perhaps slightly beyond. Crist provides normalization and helpful suggestions for children with typical and pathological worries and fears, although the latter descriptions could be improved upon.

Any views and opinions expressed in book reviews published in Triumph are those of the reviewer and do not necessarily represent those of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America or its staff.