Anxiety In Children

In today's fast-paced society, nobody is immune from anxiety-causing events and situations that occur. Children are at risk from the same types of anxiety that adults suffer from. Recent studies show that children with anxiety are becoming more common. How common? Anxiety now affects one child out of every five.

Anxiety in children can be triggered by a number of different stressful events such as pressure to perform well in school or moving to a new area. But it can also start by simply being inherited from a family member. Anxiety is believed to be hereditary in many cases.

Anxiety in children is especially difficult because of their tendency to keep the problem a secret for fear of embarrassment or humiliation. If left untreated, the problem can increase over time as an anxious child will take measures to avoid feeling bad. Many will start to avoid situations where they feel they are at risk for anxiety. Eventually they end up making choices based on feared situations and not realities. If this continues, the child can become isolated and introverted. This can lead to poor performance in school or skipping school altogether. It can also lead to alcohol or drug abuse.

In time, anxiety in children will cause anger instead of fear. Anger feels better than fear and it is easier for children to blame others if they can't escape feeling bad. At this point things can go from bad to worse as the anxiety continues to grow. The child's confidence in him or herself will suffer as they fail to thrive at home and in school.

As a parent it is crucial to be able to understand and identify the most common warning signs of child anxiety:

• Dramatic behavioral changes
• Acting worried or apprehensive
• Memory problems or confusion
• Lack of energy or motivation
• Physical symptoms such as headache, muscle tension, or restlessness
• Insomnia
• Seeking isolation
• Frequent sadness or crying
• Decreased interest in activities or inability to enjoy previously favorite activities

Children with anxiety are at great risk to continue suffering right into adulthood. If left untreated it can become a lifelong problem that can lead to phobias, depression, and agoraphobia.

Anxiety disorders in children can be treated with therapy and medications. Careful consideration should be exercised when it comes to anxiety medications, such as antidepressants and benzodiazepines, intended for children. These drugs are highly addictive and cause side effects that can be serious. The idea of a child using such powerful pharmaceutical drugs before their brain is fully developed is risky. There are effective natural anxiety treatment alternatives for children available.

Treating anxiety in children younger than teenagers often requires the need for a specialist. Most pediatricians lack the specific training needed to correctly tell when a child is anxious or depressed. In these cases, ask your doctor or pediatrician to refer a child-anxiety expert.