Anxiety means feeling worried, nervous, or fearful. We all experience anxiety at times and some anxiety can be helpful and helps us function well. For example, feeling anxiety before a test, interview, or public-speaking can help you prepare for it.
When you are threatened or in actual danger, anxiety acts as an alarm system to keep you from harm. It triggers your “flight-fight-freeze” response that helps prepare your body to defend itself. It might have you run from the situation (flight), yell or cry (fight), or become very alert (freeze).
Children and youth often have many more fears than adults do as they try to make sense of their world. Most childhood fears are normal and go away eventually. It is important to think about age and what is common when considering whether anxiety is becoming a problem.
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health problems among children and youth. Children may be diagnosed with more than one anxiety disorder or with anxiety and other mental health challenges.
Types of Anxiety Disorders
There are five types of anxiety disorders in children and youth.
Separation Anxiety Disorder
Children may become scared when they have to separate from a caregiver. It’s normal for young children to have fears about being left with someone new, but they are usually able to get used to the situation. A child with separation anxiety continues to have a hard time being apart. Sometimes even being in a different room in the same home is a challenge. This fear gets in the way of children doing things by themselves.
Children with separation anxiety disorder may:
- refuse or avoid going to school
- call many times to be picked up
- cry and cling to a caregiver
- throw tantrums
- avoid going to bed at night
- avoid play-dates and sleepovers
- refuse to be babysat
- worry that something bad will happen to the caregiver
- complain of physical symptoms before, during, and after separation
A child or youth with social anxiety disorder experiences a lot of worry and fear when they interact with other people. They become anxious when they are the centre of attention (or think they are the centre of attention). These children have a strong fear of embarrassing themselves and of other people thinking badly of them. They may worry about wearing the “wrong clothing” or saying the wrong thing.
Children and youth with social anxiety disorder may avoid:
- talking to classmates or adults
- going to social events like birthday parties or school dances
- using the telephone
- making presentations
- attending school
- eating in public or using public bathrooms
Children or youth with specific phobias are scared of certain situations or objects. Their fear is stronger than the actual danger posed by these situations or objects. They try hard to avoid contact with what they fear, for example:
- specific situations: bridges, transportation (riding in cars, flying in airplanes), enclosed spaces (elevators, tunnels)
- environment: dark, storms, heights, water
- insects or animals: dogs, spiders, snakes, insects (beetles, bees)
- medical or physical: injections, needles, going to the dentist, hospitals, vomiting, choking
Children and youth with GAD experience frequent worries that are difficult to control. They will ask a lot of “what if...” questions and look for reassurance (Are you sure I should pick that one? Are you sure my homework is perfect?). People often describe them as “worrywarts.” They tend to be worried about many things such as:
- school performance
- doing things perfectly
- what people think of them
- news (disaster, disease, war, environment)
- health or illness (getting cancer, AIDS, swine flu)
- safety and well-being of loved ones (family, friends, pets)
- safety or harm (robbery, accident, death)
- family finances, everyday stressors (being on time, what to wear, where to go)
A child or youth with panic disorder has unexpected panic attacks that include a lot of body symptoms, such as:
- dizziness
- racing heart
- shaking or trembling
- nausea or upset stomach
- sweating
- shortness of breath
They may be scared that something bad will happen because of the panic attack. For example, they fear they could die, pass out, or go crazy. A key part of panic disorder is a fear of future unexpected panic attacks. Children and youth with panic disorder may feel extreme fear in certain places or situations that they associate with having panic attacks, like crowded places or enclosed spaces such as elevators. This fear may lead them to avoid those places or situations and is called “agoraphobia”.
No comments:
Post a Comment