Anxiety Disorder Symptoms in Children

Although all children experience events that cause occasional anxious feelings as they are growing up, some children suffer from anxiety disorders that make normal events unbearable. Children who have an anxiety disorder have an increased risk of suicide and are more likely to abuse drugs during their teen years. With intervention and treatment, these youngsters may function successfully in school and society.

  1. Separation

    • Often, the first anxiety disorder a child experiences revolves around separation from his parents. Although this is a common phase that many infants and toddlers go through, if it lasts past the age of three, it may signify a deeper anxiety disorder. Without early treatment, the child may develop a heightened fear of being kidnapped or the inability to play at a friend's home or attend school without severe anxiety.

    Obsessive behavior

    • Some children deal with anxious thoughts by developing repetitive patterns of behavior. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder whereby a child counters painful mental stimuli by creating rituals. For instance, children who are very frightened of germs may wash their hands dozens of times a day. Youngsters who fear change, may insist on arranging their toys in specific patterns, or they may recite certain statements or passages over and over.

    Phobias

    • Sometimes an anxiety disorder revolves around a fear of something specific. In this case, the child may have an unreasonable fear of heights (altophobia), of crowds (demophobia) or of darkness (lygophobia). When exposed to the phobia trigger, the child may exhibit physical symptoms of fear, an increased heartbeat, rapid breathing or an urge to flee. There are hundreds of named phobias (see Resources below).

    Panic

    • Children may develop a panic disorder because of a phobia or a mental condition. Sometimes, there is no obvious cause for this anxiety disorder but it can result in devastating emotional and physical pain for the child. Symptoms of a full-blown panic attack may include, trembling, sweating, difficulty breathing, a feeling of imminent danger, tingling, chills and mental disassociation with reality.

    General

    • Some anxieties do not fit into a specific category and are lumped into one large classification of General Anxiety Disorders (GAD). Children who suffer from GAD may experience anxiety when taking a test at school, during a thunderstorm or when their parents argue. They may worry incessantly about their health or their grades. These children may experience fatigue, irritability, muscle soreness, restlessness and the inability to concentrate.

    Prevention/Solution

    • Some anxiety disorders are caused by an underlying mental condition, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder but others develop as a result to an unpleasant event. When a child exhibits unreasonable anxiety to a common stimulus, scolding or belittling the child may backfire, making the disorder worse. Consult a physician to rule out an underlying condition and then consider family counseling to help the child deal with the problem.