Coming Up Short

FAMILY ANXIETY

No one imagines that anxiety is good for kids. Now comes news that
it can actually stunt their growth.

Psychologists have known for some time that children who suffer
severe emotional abuse often grow slowly or not at all, a condition
called "failure to thrive." Today, a clearer picture of the connection
between development and mental health is emerging, and Thomas W. Uhde,
M.D., is tracking how even less severe anxiety problems -- such as panic
disorders and social phobias -- might be associated with stunted growth
in kids.

The evidence comes from several directions. Adults with panic
disorder produce less growth hormone than normal controls when given
substances that stimulate hormone release (caffeine is one). Nervous
pointer dogs are not only chronically anxious and smaller than their
normal littermates, but they have lower levels of IGFI, a molecule
associated with growth hormone. And anecdotal observations suggest that
anxious, undersized kids who are being treated with growth hormone often
see an improvement in both their emotional and physical
conditions.

All of which raises the question of causality. Might anxiety
actually inhibit a child's stature? Or are short kids more likely to
experience anxiety because of the premium society places on
height?

Most likely a complex web of pathways is involved. "You have
environmental issues, biological issues, and genetic issues," says Uhde,
chairman of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Wayne State
University. "They're all important and they all interact."

Another complication is timing. At some stages of development,
decreased hormone levels may have little effect. Other times growth is
merely delayed.

The good news: the anxiety-development connection suggests that
growth homone-deficient children with panic disorders might benefit from
either cognitive or biological therapies.