Anxiety in Children: Tips for Identification and Treatment

Some fears, anxieties and worries are normal in children. For most children, the anxieties they have will go away on their own or with the reassurance of their parents. However, in some cases, anxiety can be persistent and start to affect the child’s mental health and wellbeing, carrying over into other areas of their life like school, activities, and friendships. In fact, about 9.4% of children aged 2 to 17 have been diagnosed with anxiety.

Knowing how to identify anxiety in children, as well what you can do about it, is critical to help protect a child’s mental health.

What Can Cause Anxiety in Children?

Some children are naturally more anxious and/or less able to cope with stress than others. Plus, being around anxious people can make children feel more anxious. Kids may feel anxiety about stressful events such as:

• Moving houses

• Moving schools

• Parents fighting/arguing

• Death of a family member or friend

• Becoming ill or injured in an accident

• School-related issues like exams or bullying

• Abuse or neglect

Additionally, some children with existing mental health disorders like ADHD or autism are also more likely to have problems with anxiety.

Types of Anxiety Disorders In Children

There are seven primary anxiety disorders that are seen in children:

• Generalized anxiety disorder: Children experience excessive and uncontrollable worry about a number of events or activities, often feeling anxious in a variety of settings, and are unable to put their worries aside.

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and the behaviors they feel they must perform because of the thoughts happen frequently, take up a lot of time, interfere with their activities, or make them upset.

• Panic disorder: Children experience unexpected and repeated periods of intense fear or discomfort, along with other symptoms such as racing heart, dizziness or lightheadedness, shortness of breath, shaking, sense of unreality, or fear of losing control.

• ·Phobias: Fear of something every time it’s seen or experienced. Children often go out of their way to avoid the situation or thing.

• Selective mutism: Severe anxiety disorder where a person is unable to speak in certain social situations. Typically starts during childhood and if left untreated can persist into adulthood.

• Separation anxiety disorder: A disorder when a child becomes excessively anxious when separated from their parents. 
  
  Social anxiety disorder: Children feel such intense anxiety during social situations with adults or peers that they either avoid them completely or get very upset during them.

Symptoms of Anxiety In Children

When a child doesn’t outgrow fears common for young children, they can start to interfere with other areas in their lives. That’s why it’s important to be aware of symptoms of anxiety and keep an eye out for them in your child. Examples include:

• Difficulty concentrating

• Trouble sleeping or waking up in the night with bad dreams

• Change in eating habits or not eating properly

• Quick to get angry or irritated

• Out of control outbursts

• Negative thoughts

• Constantly worrying

• Feeling tense or fidgety

• Using the toilet often

• Crying more than usual

• Being clingy

• Hoarding items of seeming insignificance

• Withdrawing from family/friends

• Complaining of not feeling well, such as headaches or tummy aches

• Being afraid when away from parents (separation anxiety)

• Extreme fear about a specific thing or situation (phobias)

• Being afraid of school or other places there are people (social anxiety)

• Worried about the future or bad things happening

• Repeated episodes of sudden, intense, unexpected fear with symptoms like fast heart rate, difficulty breathing, feeling dizzy, shaking, or sweaty (panic disorder)

Take note of when your child displays any of these behaviors or complains of physical symptoms. For example, are they feeling anxious before or after an event or activity, when they are separated from you, or when they are put in certain situations or with certain people or things? Anxiety could be the cause.

If your child is displaying any odd behaviors or physical complaints, talk to their pediatrician. They can help diagnose any anxiety disorder and help get you both the help you need to manage it.

How to Help a Child Who Has Anxiety

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) recommends health care providers routinely screen children for behavioral and mental health concerns. If your child’s pediatrician doesn’t already do this, ask what they recommend.

You should also talk to your child about their worries, anxieties and fears. Having open and honest conversations about how they are feeling can help you catch symptoms early, and better understand if it’s normal child anxieties or something more. Additionally, partner with your child’s teachers and other trusted adults in their life to give your child extra support and keep an eye out for worsening of symptoms of feelings of anxiety.

If your child is experiencing anxiety symptoms, ensure they are eating nutritious foods, getting enough physical activity (at least 60 minutes per day), and sufficient sleep. It may be helpful for your child to develop and stick to predictable routines. New and/or consistent hobbies can be helpful for establishing these routines and providing a healthy outlet for expression for your child. Before and after school care programs can provide some extra guidance and social time that can also help alleviate anxiety. You can also teach them mindfulness or relaxation techniques.

Finally, seek professional help if your child is constantly anxious and not getting better, self-help isn’t working, and/or it’s affecting their school, family, or friendships. Treatments for children with anxiety can include counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, or even medication.