The first blog was about symptoms and causes of anxiety in children. Today’s focus is on the different types of anxiety disorders in children.
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Generalized anxiety disorder
Children with GAD have recurring fears and worries that are difficult to control. They worry about everything from school, sports to natural disasters. They may exhibit symptoms of restlessness, irritability, fatigue, and may have trouble concentrating. They are often eager to please others and may be “perfectionists.” They may exhibit physical symptoms such as muscle tension and inability to relax, restlessness, fatigue, sleep apnea, difficulty concentrating, and irritability.
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Separation anxiety disorder
These children have intense anxiety about being away from their home or from their caregivers. It affects their ability to function socially and in school. They worry about heir parents when they are apart from them. When they are with their parents or caregivers, they may cling to them or refuse to go to school. Sometimes they have physical symptoms such as stomach aches or headaches.
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Social Anxiety disorder
If not treated, SAD can persist into adulthood, and can place a child at risk for alcohol abuse, depression, and difficulty with relationships. Children suffering with SAD exhibit fears with at least one social situation or performance situation. They also fear and avoid social interactions with schoolmates.
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Obsessive compulsive disorder
It is estimated that at any given time, 1 to over 3% of adolescents are experiencing symptoms of OCD. Children as young as 5 or 6 can show symptoms and may have frequent and uncontrollable thoughts (called “obsessions”) and may perform routines or rituals (called “compulsions”) in an attempt to eliminate the thoughts. Other common compulsions include counting, repeating works silently, and rechecking completed tasks. These obsessions and compulsions take up so much time that they interfere with daily living and cause a young person a great deal of anxiety.
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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Children who experience a physical or emotional trauma such as witnessing a shooting or disaster, surviving physical, emotional or sexual abuse, or being in a car accident may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). An event that may not be traumatic to an adult – such as a bumpy plane journey – might be traumatic to a child. A child may “re-experience” the trauma through nightmares, constant thoughts about what happened, or re-enacting the event while playing. A child with PTSD will experience symptoms of general anxiety, including irritability or trouble sleeping and eating. Children may exhibit other symptoms such as being easily startled.
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Panic disorder
Children who suffer from this disorder have unexpected and repeated periods of intense fear or discomfort along with other symptoms such as racing heartbeat or feeling short of breath. These “panic attacks” can last for minutes to hours. Panic attacks can interfere with a child’s or adolescent’s relationships, schoolwork and, and normal development.
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