Anxiety Disorders in Children

It is only as recently as in the last ten years that anxiety disorders in children have been taken seriously. In the past, being fearful was considered a normal part of childhood and so fear and anxiety in children was dismissed as a passing phase. However, newer research has shown that some children and adolescents do feel such anxiety that the diagnosis of an anxiety disorder is warranted. This is an important step as some childhood anxiety disorders are chronic which means that without treatment they will continue into adulthood.

It is now considered that anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent psychological problems affecting as many as 13% of children and adolescents. They are often accompanied by other conditions such as depression, eating disorders and behavioral problems.

First of all, it is important to distinguish between fear and anxiety. Fear is the body’s way of initiating the ‘fight or flight’ response and avoiding or dealing with danger that can be seen.  Anxiety, on the other hand, can be felt with or without the presence of actual danger. One can feel anxious about an imminent threat and then feel the fear when the threat becomes fact. After the fact, when the threat has been dealt with, anxiety returns in the form of worry about future attacks or consequences.

Children with anxiety disorders typically feel intense fear, anxiety and uneasiness over a long period of time. It is not like seeing a scary movie and needing some reassurance or feeling bad about an event that happened during the day and needing to sleep with the hall light on for a night or two. Children with anxiety disorders can’t be calmed with soft words or a hall light. Their fears and anxieties persist and impact their daily routines negatively.

The kinds of problems include poor performance at school, low self esteem, substance abuse and difficulty in social situations as well as physical symptoms such as high blood pressure, ulcers, diarrhea and respiratory problems.   There are six different types of disorders which affect children –

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  • Separation Anxiety Disorder
  • Phobias
  • Panic Disorder
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

 

It can be hard to recognize the difference between normal anxiety and pathological anxiety in children as they don’t know that what they are experiencing isn’t any different to what others experience. They cannot express that they are feeling constant fear and anxiety. Parents and carers need to look out for signs that the child is starting to avoid certain places or situations; not wanting to go to school or a neighborhood party for example. Headaches, problems sleeping, poor concentration, low self esteem, being overly critical of oneself and stomach pain are some of the symptoms of a possible anxiety disorder.

The good news is that once these conditions are diagnosed, successful treatment is possible.