Dealing with school phobia

Most kids don’t like going to school, so school phobia it can be hard to distinguish a real case of school phobia from simply dislike of school. Adults unaware of the phobia may call it truancy, which is missing school simply due to boredom or rebellion. School phobia is a genuine problem caused by anxiety, stress and irrational fears.

​Who does school phobia affect?

School phobia can affect anyone who attends school. Only one per cent experience school phobia and it is more common in boys specifically around the age of 11/12 to 14/15. These children also tend to be introverts and quite shy. Unfortunately, bullying can be linked to children with this phobia. This makes sense because any child that is the victim of bullying associates’ school with negative feelings and begin to feel trapped causing anxiety and irrational fears to set in. The longer the phobia is left to develop, the more frequently it will be seen and more will be done to avoid going to school, including tantrums.

What Causes it?

As previously mentioned, bullying can lead to school phobia. However, family issues at home can also have a part to blame as well. If they are facing new challenges in their life their stress levels can quickly go up and must come out in some way but since they tend to be introverted, they don’t speak about how they feel so it accumulates. Parents sometimes think their children are pretending to be sick to get out of school however the child really can be in physical pain because they unconsciously think themselves into getting headaches, stomach aches, etc. The mind and body use this as a defence mechanism to keep them away from the threat A.K.A, phobia.

How does it affect the children and parents lives?

The most obvious way it can affect the child is that they will quickly fall behind on school work which only makes them feel even more pressured and stressed and in turn more anxious. Missing school also leads to the child becoming socially isolated and left out so it's not surprising that the later stages of school phobia can be linked with depression. It is also important to realise that the parents of the child are affected and deal with stress as well. Parents may not realise the real problem as there isn’t much awareness of school phobia so they can often feel frustrated with the child and themselves.

​School Phobia Cure

​In most cases, school phobia disappears on its own around the age of 14 to 15. However, if their phobia persists and is extreme, it is advised to go to a specialist as soon as possible. It should be easy and quick to cure but is still very serious. Every lesson missed set a child back in terms of work, so the quicker the action is taken the better. You can book a free consultation to learn about what the options are to cure school phobia by clicking here.