During childhood, anxiety plays a normal role and this is temporary. This can be triggered by a certain stressful event. Examples of such stressful events include the change of environment when the child goes to school for the very first time. Another one would be when the child may have trouble sleeping due to a scary movie he just saw or a tragic news event he just learned.
Childhood anxiety may be normal; however, there are instances when the anxiety can be intense and persistent. When this happens, the child's daily activities and routines are greatly affected. You will notice this when your child does not want to make friends, go to school or having trouble in sleeping.
In most cases, these child anxieties can be treated by reassurance and comfort. But when the anxiety is constant and serious, Helene Goldnadel advises you to know the certain type of anxiety disorder that your child is suffering so as to know which doctor to ask help to.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Your child may suffer this kind of disorder when he is spending a lot of time performing rituals such as counting, repeating words, hand washing or repeatedly checking and rechecking things. The reason for such rituals is to keep the unpleasant thoughts and/or images away as well as keeping feelings at bay.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
If your child has this kind of disorder, he may experience trouble in sleeping, difficulty in concentrating at school or irritability. He may also experience constant, uncontrollable and excessive fears about any number of everyday things which include family issues, grades, being on time, performing well in sports or even natural disasters. When your child has GAD, he is more likely to become a perfectionist.
Separation Anxiety Disorder
This kind of disorder usually happens during the toddler years but can also happen as the child gets older. Your child usually experiences this due to his new environment and new people to deal with such as his classmates, caregiver and/or teacher. This is usually normal however, this anxiety should not be taken for granted because your child might then be reluctant to go to school, sleep alone or may also develop a fear that something bad will happen to you and him when you are not together.
Phobias
Your child may have a phobia when he has an extreme, intense and irrational fear of something that is specific. Some of the common phobias are needles, the dark, dogs, flying, thunderstorms, water, blood and heights. When you realize that your child has a phobia, it is best if you take responsibility of the matter as children are less likely than the adults to put their fears into proportion or has the ability to realize that their fears are actually irrational.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
When your child witnesses or experiences a traumatic or life-threatening event such as a car accident or robbery, he will most likely develop a post-traumatic stress disorder especially when he lacks a strong support system at home or has experienced the event directly. You will know that he has developed this kind of disorder when he experiences nightmares, insomnia, flashbacks, intense fear and anxiety, reenact the traumatic incident while playing and depression. He may also avoid and withdraw people, activities months and places after experiencing such traumatic event.
However, whatever kind of child anxiety disorder that your child is having, it is important that you seek advice from child mental health experts and/or pediatrician. Early diagnosis and treatment can surely help in eliminating such child anxiety disorder. Also, if the disorder is treated early on, you will help your child develop good friendship and fewer problems at school as well as improving his self-esteem.
