Child And Anxiety

Medical experts estimate that thirteen out of every one hundred children between the ages of nine and seventeen will develop some type of anxiety disorder and that girls are more likely to be affected than boys. Approximately fifty percent of children and adolescents with an anxiety disorder will also have another form of mental illness such as another type of anxiety disorder, depression, or behavioral disorder.

Anxiety disorders can be very disruptive to a child's life as they feel intense emotions of fear and worry which are not always brought on just by the typical stresses of life. Anxiety disorders can not be controlled just by will power alone and can affect their sleeping patterns as well as having the symptoms of nausea and headaches.

Separation Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder in Children

It is estimated that about four percent of children and adolescents will experience some form of separation anxiety. This type of anxiety occurs when a child feels extreme worry or distress when having to be separated from the people they have become attached too.

This occurs most often when a child has to go to school or another similar place where they can not easily return home as opposed to when they just go to a friend's house or out shopping where they have the choice to leave and return home at anytime. This type of anxiety is normal to some degree for younger children who typically grow out of it as they get older.

A panic disorder is very rare in younger children and more common among adolescents. The panic attacks that occur with a panic disorder are often very confusing to a child and the symptoms of a rapid heartbeat, sweating, chest pain, and dizziness, can make them feel as if they are going to die. A child who experiences a panic attack will typically have extreme anxiety or worry about when the next one might occur.

OCD and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Estimates show that approximately one to three percent of young children or adolescents have "OCD" or "obsessive compulsive disorder". Children with OCD have obsessive thoughts which cause them to act with compulsions or rituals which are repetitive actions that they feel they must complete which can include checking something over and over again, hoarding, and mentally counting or repeating words.

Children who witness or experience a traumatic event such as a car accident, abuse, or other type of violence may develop "PTSD" or "post traumatic stress disorder". This can be a very serious condition that affects their ability to function in normally in their every day life in home or when at school. In younger children some of the symptoms PTSD may involve bedwetting, fear of darkness, nightmares, and extreme fear of being left alone or away from their parents.

Phobias and General Anxiety Disorder

Phobias are another type of anxiety disorder that can develop in children and are an overwhelming fear of situations or objects that can interfere with their everyday life and cause them to withdraw or avoid normal social and leisure activities. There are two types of phobias which can occur in children which are "specific phobias" or "social phobias".

Specific phobias are an abnormal or intense fear of a particular thing or situation such as heights, animals, darkness, or of injections they may have to receive when going to the doctor's office. Social phobias are a fear of being in certain situations particularly around unfamiliar people or crowds where they feel they may be criticized, embarrassed, or humiliated.

Children who are diagnosed with "Generalized Anxiety Disorder" or "GAD" have a persistent fear or worry over numerous things which can cause many physical symptoms including nausea and headaches. Anxiety disorders in adolescents and children are treatable and most effective when the disorder is detected early. Parents of children who show persistent signs or symptoms of anxiety, should consult with their Childs' doctor or pediatrician for a proper diagnosis.