In the book, "Behavior Disorders of Childhood", Dr. Rita Wicks-Nelson and Dr. Allen Israel say that anxiety or fear consists of a combination of three forms of responses to "a perceived threat." These include a behavioral response, such as running away or trembling, a physiological one, such as an increase heart rate or respiration and subjective responses, such as thoughts of fear. While children may suffer from different forms of anxiety disorders, including social phobias, separation anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, they share common characteristics.
Problematic Thoughts
An anxious child may experience negative thoughts about herself or an outcome of a situation. Additionally, she may possess unrealistic expectations of situations, which may result in feelings of anxiety. For example, the anxious child may believe that a thunderstorm may produce a tornado that will kill a caregiver or a spider bite may result in getting a horrible disease.
Misinterpretation of Symptoms and Events
Often, as problems with anxiety progress, the afflicted individual forms a tendency to have thinking errors regarding things she feels or experiences says Dr. Kenneth Merrell in "Helping Students Overcome Anxiety and Depression". For example, the anxious child interprets an increased heart rate to mean something is wrong, therefore, feeling increased anxiety, or the anxious child sees a group of children laughing and believes they are taunting her. This perception may lead to beliefs that a threat may exist, resulting in fear and anxiety.
Panic Attacks
MayoClinic.com defines a panic attack as a "sudden episode of intense fear that develops for no apparent reason and triggers severe physical reactions." The child experiencing a panic attack may fear losing control or even believe he is dying.
Obsessions and Compulsive Behavior
The National Institute of Mental Health indicates that an obsession consists of thoughts about bad or fearful things occurring. These thoughts cause feelings of worry and anxiety. As a means to reduce these feelings, the child may engage in behaviors or compulsions meant to reduce the probability that the bad thing will happen. The child may recognize that the thoughts and behaviors are irrational and have little connection to reality, but may feel helpless to stop herself.
Body Arousal
Dr. Merrell indicates that the anxious child may often feel like he is on edge. She may appear jumpy or will startle very easily. Because the anxious child may always be looking out for danger, her body remains in a constant state of arousal.
Fears about Specific Situations
Dr. Wicks-Nelson and Dr. Israel write that while normal fears are a normal part of childhood, for the anxious child, the fears become extreme and result in problems with anxiety. These fears and anxieties may occur for specific things, like spiders, heights, closed in places or riding in cars. In other situations, the child may become anxious when separated from a parent. This may stem from a fear that something bad will happen to the caregiver or the child during the time of separation.
Excessive Worry
The anxious child may experience a generalized worry about many different types of situations and events. Due to the distraction of constant worry it can cause significant problems with the child's ability to function at home, school or socially, as the anxious child finds it impossible to concentrate.
References
- "Behavior Disorders of Childhood, Fifth Edition"; Rita Wicks-Nelson, Ph.D. and Allen C. Israel, Ph.D.; 2003
- "Cognitive Therapy With Children and Adolescents"; Mark A. Reinecke, Ph.D., Frank M. Dattilio, Ph.D., and Arthur Freeman, Ph.D.; 2003
- "Helping Students Overcome Depression and Anxiety"; Kenneth W. Merrell, Ph.D.; 2001
- MayoClinic.com: Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder
- National Institute of Mental Health: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
