Anxiety related disorders are quite common in adults, and most people are shocked to hear that anxiety disorders can afflict a child just as easily.
Growing up is a complicated and awkward process, especially in adolescent years. It's not surprising that many behaviors associated with childhood anxiety disorder go unnoticed, or are simply deemed normal.
Before you can recognize anxiety disorder in your child, you need to know what to look for. This is where most parents miss the mark. It's especially easy to miss the warning signs if you are a first time parent.
That's why it's very important to be aware that this problem does exist, and that there are recognizable symptoms. Doing so will allow you to help your child immediately, and it will give you a better understanding of the difficulty your child is experiencing.
Anxiety is generally associated with a sense of extreme worry, mostly over trivial things, or circumstances that can't be changed or controlled.
Apprehension is also another feeling associated with childhood anxiety. Apprehension is actually a defense mechanism in children and adults, because it tells us that something may be dangerous or harmful. While this feeling is vital to a child's safety, when a disorder is present it becomes uncontrollable and leads to anxiety, and often, depression.
The most common worries a child with anxiety disorder will experience are about relationships at school, classwork and tests, fear of separation from parents and loved ones, and even fear of death. The last is often a result of being exposed to violent images on television or in movies, or violent video and computer games.
Some of the symptoms a child with an anxiety disorder may exhibit are refusal to perform daily routines, like going to school or bathing, becoming withdrawn and quiet, temper tantrums (more than usual), and clinging to parents. There may also be physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach aches that can't be linked to a specific health problem.
If there is an extreme increase in these symptoms or behaviors, you should be concerned. You may want to consult a medical professional and get a diagnosis. If a child anxiety disorder is diagnosed, there are several steps you can take to help your child.
One of the things you may want to consider as an alternative to therapy and drugs is The Anxiety Free Child Program. This is a program designed by internationally known anxiety expert Rich Presta.
