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Unsure about whether you child is suffering from one of the child anxiety disorders?Although child anxiety disorders are one of the most common issues I see in my practice, they often go undetected in children. Frequently, a parent will bring their child in because they know something is wrong, but they can’t quite figure out what it is. I guess that it’s not that surprising, considering I see the same thing with my adult clients. They may come in with a variety of symptoms, but unaware of the fact that they are experiencing an anxiety disorder.
Each one of the child anxiety disorders has different symptoms, but they do share some things in common. Regardless of the specific symptoms of diagnosis the anxiety that the child is experiencing has begun to impair his ability to function in an important setting, whether at home, with friends, or at school. It is important to understand also, that although treatment varies depending on a particular diagnosis all children can benefit from stress management techniques.
This information should help familiarize you with the most common forms of child anxiety disorders. If you are looking for help for a child with anxiety this might be a place to start. If you are interested in finding out what might be the cause for your child’s anxiety, please click here.
These anxiety conditions should be diagnosed by a mental health professional or a medical doctor. Follow the links for more specific information about these child anxiety disorders and child anxiety treatment.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Generalized Anxiety Disorder is excessive or unrealistic anxiety or worry over a variety of issues. A child with generalized anxiety disorder may worry about everything. They worry about things that have happened, things that are happening, and things that may happen in the future. Children may manifest these symptoms as follows:
Tiredness
Difficulty concentrating or irritability
Muscle tension
Sleep disturbance
Feeling on edge
Panic Disorder/Panic Attack/Child Anxiety Attack
Panic attacks are not very common in children but do occur occasionally. They are more common in adolescents and may occur with agoraphobia, which is essentially fearfulness about leaving the safety of home or other comfort zones. Children or adolescents who are having a child anxiety attack may refuse to leave their homes and refuse to go to school. This often happens because a child has experienced a child anxiety attack or panic attack at school and then chooses to avoid that setting. Panic attacks are distinguished from other child anxiety disorders by the physical symptoms that accompany it. Shortness of breath, pain, and intense fear often suddenly come over children who are having panic attacks. A child who is experiencing a panic attacks should be evaluated by a medical doctor to ensure there is no physical cause for the problem. Click here for information on treatment for children with panic disorder Childhood Separation Anxiety Disorder
Anxiousness is a normal part of growing up but this should lesson as the child grows older. If being apart from you is interfering in your child’s daily routine, success in school, or relationships with peers it may be a more serious issue. In younger children common symptoms of separation anxiety include: crying, clinging, and panic upon separation from you. In older children some signs of separation anxiety include: unrealistic worry about harm to loved ones, fear parents will not be there when they return home, reluctance to sleep alone, school refusal, stomachaches, headaches, or other physical symptoms.
Click here for information on separation anxiety during different ages
Click here for information on separation anxiety treatment Click here for information on separation anxiety in teenagers Test Anxiety Test anxiety is more common in children since standardized testing has become a tool used to determine whether kids will be promoted. Not always, but sometimes test anxiety can be a symptom of a larger problem. Please click here to find out about test anxiety in general . Please click here to find out about the causes of test anxiety
Social Phobia or Social Anxiety
Social Phobia is one of the child anxiety disorders that is more common in adolescents than in young children. Children with social phobia may experience intense shyness uneasiness around strangers. When the desire to avoid strangers or people interferes in the development of normal social relatedness, it is abnormal. Social Phobia may also lead to isolation and depression in kids. One kind of social phobia is selective mutism in which the child is unable to speak in social situations. Often adults get angry with these children and punish them or try to make them talk, when in reality this is a manifestation of anxiety. This is a disorder that actually begins in very young children but may extend in some cases into adolescence.
Click here for information on social anxiety disorder in a child
Specific Phobia
Children who have a specific phobia have an intense fear of a circumstance that poses no real danger. Phobias are common among young children and usually not debilitating. In most cases they are outgrown and do not require treatment. However, if a specific phobia in a child becomes debilitating or interferes in the normal daily routine or success at school and with peers, it may require treatment OCD in Children
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the most debilitating or the child anxiety disorders. OCD consists of constant obsessions (worry thoughts) and compulsions (worry rituals) that cause children who have a great deal of trouble functioning. It makes their day to day life and your life exhausting. PTSD and other Trauma Reactions Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a reaction we see in some children who have experienced a trauma where they felt there life or someone else’s was in danger. Essentially PTSD can consist of flashbacks to the trauma, avoidance of things that remind the child of the trauma, disturbed sleep and nightmares and physical symptoms of heightened arousal when reminded of the trauma. Post traumatic stress disorder is often associated with or sexual abuse sexual abuse. Return to Homepage from Child Anxiety Disorders page Have a question about anxiety disorder in children?
Do you have a question about anxiety disorder in your children? I get several emails a day asking questions about anxiety disorder in children. Many parents have the same concerns and issues. Help others with questions by sharing your question about anxiety disorder in children, or about symptoms of anxiety disorder in your child. What Other Visitors Have AskedClick below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Jenifer
has my 4 year old got a anxiety disorder
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22 month afraid of new noises
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Social Anxiety in Toddlers?
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