Anxiety In Children

Anxiety is a normal reaction when people encounter stressful situations. Everyone, no matter how old, feels anxiety sometimes. But when anxiety is intense and unreasonable, there could be a mental health issue. An anxiety disorder is the most common mental health problem in children today.

Children who suffer from anxiety disorders usually experience intense fear, worry, or uneasiness that can last for a long time, is out of proportion for the situation, is inappropriate for the child’s age, and bothers them so much that their daily lives are affected. If not treated, extreme anxiety can affect their schooling, hinder their friendships with other children, give them low self-esteem, and ultimately will cause them to have problems as adults.

Children can suffer from a number of different anxiety disorders. These include:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder: extreme, unrealistic worry about the activities of everyday life, from schoolwork to sports. They even worry about being on time. Often, these children are very self-conscious and tense, and need frequent reassurance. Their constant worrying sometimes causes them physical stomach-aches.
 
Separation Anxiety Disorder: Every small child experiences some amount of separation anxiety, but when it prevents the older child from attending camp or school, or causes extreme depression, withdrawal or fear of death, then it is cause for concern.

Phobias: Just like adults, children can have unrealistic and excessive fears of certain situations or objects. Those with social phobias are terrified of being criticized or judged by other people.
 
Panic Disorder: Panic attacks are periods of intense fear accompanied by a pounding heartbeat, sweating, dizziness, nausea, or a feeling of imminent death. The experience is extremely frightening for a child and may cause them not to want to be separated from their parents.
 
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Children with obsessive-compulsive disorder begin to repeat behavior which they often realize isn’t necessary, but they can’t help themselves. For instance, washing their hands over and over again, or arranging and rearranging the same objects.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: If a child experiences a very stressful event, such as abuse, witnessing violence, or living through a disaster, they can develop post-traumatic stress disorder. They experience the event over and over through strong memories, flashbacks, and troublesome thoughts, to the extent that they startle easily and have trouble sleeping.

Researchers suggest watching for signs of anxiety disorders when children are between the ages of 6 and 8. This is when children usually become less afraid of the dark and imaginary creatures and become more anxious about school and friendships. Studies suggest that children who have a parent with anxiety disorders are more likely to have the same problems. However, the studies don’t know whether the disorders are caused by heredity, environment, or both.

Following a positive diagnosis, children with anxiety disorders can be treated in a number of ways. These include cognitive-behavioral treatment, which helps the child learn to deal with their fears by changing the ways they think and behave; relaxation techniques; biofeedback to control stress; therapy for the entire family; and medication. Cognitive-behavioral treatment has proven effective in treating some anxiety disorders, but medication seems to work better with others. Often, a combination of these treatments is most beneficial.