Understanding Childhood Anxiety

This article discusses Understanding Childhood Anxiety and is filed under Articles on anxiety


Anxiety symptoms and disorders are a significant health problem in all developed countries. According to recent data, around 25% of adults will experience an anxiety disorders at some time. The frequency in children is unknown, but felt to be significantly underreported and under-diagnosed.

Although quite common, Anxiety Disorders in children often are overlooked or misjudged, despite being very treatable conditions. Children and adolescents with anxiety disorders typically experience intense fear, worry, or uneasiness that can last for long periods of time and significantly affect their lives. If not treated early, anxiety disorders can lead to:

- repeated school absences or an inability to finish school;

- impaired relations with peers;

- low self-esteem;

- increased alcohol or other drug use;

- problems adjusting to work situations; and

- anxiety disorder in adulthood.

Many different anxiety disorders affect children and adolescents. Several disorders and their signs are described below:

Generalised Anxiety Disorder: Children and adolescents with generalised anxiety disorder engage in extreme, unrealistic worry about everyday life activities. They worry unduly about their academic performance, sporting activities, or even about being on time. Typically, these young people are very self-conscious, feel tense, and have a strong need for reassurance.

Click to continue reading “Understanding Childhood Anxiety”

Tags: Understanding, separation anxiety disorder, Childhood


Answers and Articles

What Contributes To Childhood Anxiety?Children are supposed to be happy and carefree, at least, that is what most parents want for them. No parent wants to see that their child is unhappy or worried about things that should not be of any concern to them as they grow. They should be learning and having fun, and the worries of the world should not come [...]...

Overcoming separation anxiety disorderTo have separation anxiety is normal to be experienced by anyone; may it be an adult, a teenager, or a child. This feeling is basically a fear or worry of being separated from a certain person, thing, or place. For instance, a child may show unwillingness to let his parents leave him alone at school or a parent may feel [...]...

Understanding obsessive-compulsive anxiety disorderAnxiety disorder covers different types of unconventional phobias, pathological anxieties, and fears. Anxiety, according to medical terminology, is the emotional state or condition that an individual regarded as unpleasant. The cause or reason of unpleasantness is not, however, readily identified or defined by medical experts. Often used interchangeably with fear, anxiety conditions require accurate diagnosis so that better prognosis and [...]...

Dealing with child anxiety takes more than just therapyChildren often go out and play — activities that are normal for their physical, intellectual, and emotional development. They go to school, do homework, do some errands, and play again. They interact often with peers and are always on the go. In some cases, children get a chance to feel the surge of anxiety in and around their busy environment. [...]...

Test anxiety: a silent epidemic among childrenEvery year, millions of students come face to face with a recurring problem that seems to haunt them more than the proverbial “monster under the bed.” this persistent challenge has been called by academicians and behavioral experts as —- test anxiety. This form of school-related stress hounds the kindergarten pupil as much as the ivy league scholar. Test [...]...