Anxiety can impact nearly everyone, including children and adolescents. Anxiety disorders usually cause intense fear, worry and/or uneasiness that can last for extended periods of time and interrupt daily life tasks, explains the National Mental Health Information Center. Without treatment, children may experience diminished school performance or trouble interacting socially, or they may participate in illegal drug or alcohol use to cope with their problems. There are many different anxiety disorders that can affect children.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one form of the condition that inhibits everyday life. Children may worry excessively about unrealistic fears. The fear is so intense, they may develop abdominal discomfort or seek approval or reassurance from loved ones. Other symptoms include excessive worry over popularity, appearance or school and athletic performance. Physical signs of anxiety can develop in the form of nail biting, frequent headaches or fatigue with no other obvious cause.
Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety is common during childhood. It can occur early in life, even during infancy. A child may prefer to stay near parents or caregivers. Being somewhere without familiar loved ones can cause extreme fear, sadness or depression. The child may cry profusely as a family member or parent leaves him. Social events without parents may not be possible until the child copes with separation. This issue often resolves as the child ages and develops confidence in being alone.
Panic Disorder
Children who develop several physical symptoms of anxiety as a result of specific stressors can be diagnosed with panic disorder. Panic attacks include rapid heart rate, chest pounding, sweating, nausea, dizziness or even feeling as if death is imminent, explains the National Mental Health Information Center. The child can become so fearful of experiencing another panic attack that she will do just about anything to avoid the stressor. This leads to an extremely restricted life until the disorder is properly managed with therapy and sometimes medication. Fear of social rejection can further contribute to the child's anxiousness.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition in which a child behaves according to mental obsessions, or persistent thoughts. The thoughts control nearly every moment of a child's life. The compulsions, or behaviors, used to cope with the thoughts can lead to repetitive actions. Examples include washing hands a certain number of times for fear of contracting germs or feeling out of control if the surroundings are not completely orderly. A child with this disorder recognizes the behavior is senseless, but controlling it is often impossible.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
A child can develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after experiencing a traumatic event. Examples include abuse, witnessing a terrifying event or experiencing a natural disaster. The event can be repeated in a child's memory, especially in the form of flashbacks. Anything that triggers memories of the event is avoided. A child may have trouble sleeping or overreact when startled or if something even remotely associated to the original event occurs.
