Anxiety Disorder symptoms in children
Anxiety Disorder in children, not unlike that in adults, is normal anxiety and fear of situations and expectations that cannot be dealt with by the individual is in the case of those without the condition. We all experience both worry and anxiety about a variety of issues in our lives. In individuals without the condition of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, the development of an abnormal reaction occurs along with extreme physiological symptoms including rapid heart rate, sweating, increased blood pressure and the like, as well as emotional and mental symptoms including extreme fear and apprehension.
The symptoms of an anxiety attack fall into two groups: those physical and those emotional. In children, the development of symptoms and their spiraling and reinforcement of anxiety are almost identical to that sustained in adults. While the object/cause of the trauma or anxiety varies by age, the resulting anxiety level seems to be relatively constant, also regardless of age. Severe cases of anxiety disorder in children can be as disabling as is the case in adults. The issue that exists most prevalently in children, regarding recognition of the condition, is the child’s natural tendency to avoid dealing with the problem, especially if parental help is not readily available.
Types of Anxiety Disorder in Children:
1. Generalized anxiety disorder
This is a typical category of environmental concerns that also exists in adults. In children the fears and worries normally surround natural environmental issues, like fear of the dark, to social awkwardness, like school, group dynamics, and the like. Again, these kinds of natural and normal anxieties are dealt with successfully by most of us. In the case of children with an anxiety disorder, these issues have typically spiraled out of control and into full-fledged GAD.
2. Social-based anxiety
Social-based anxiety usually occurs in teens as opposed to minor children. As expected, patients with this level of anxiety disorder have a greater than normal sensitivity about their appearance and their ability to perform in social settings. The resulting panic attack in this case may be as simple and nervous sweating and increased heart rate, to as full-fledged as extreme fear and lightheadedness. Young people with this disorder typically respond to these feelings by avoiding the feared situation. Quite often one can recognize the potential for this type of anxiety much earlier in the life of the child. These indications are being overly sensitive, overly emotional reactions to both positive and negative experiences and a generalized tendency to be both loners and non-participants in most interactive areas of their lives.
3. Separation anxiety disorder
Children with an intense anxiety about being away from home or parents that affects their ability to function normally may have a separation anxiety disorder. This is especially critical when a parent dies. Children with this condition fear their safety happiness without the presence of the target-need person in their lives. The most common other characteristic of these children is one of over-protection on the part of their care-givers/parents along with the absence of both self-identity and self-reliance.
