Anxiety Disorders in Children (Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment)

One of familiar known anxiety disorders in children is separation anxiety! However, many of very young kids have it and this is normal, particularly for those between 8-14 months. There is usually a normal phase that we call as clingy, which is a condition of afraid (particularly to unfamiliar places and people). But it can be a kind of disorder when occurs, with excessive symptoms and last longer (more than a month), and in kids over 6 years of old

You may also like to read some physical symptoms of anxiety, before continuing!

For example, children (over 6 years of old) become so nervous and fearful when separated from their caregiver or their parent. They may also so nervous when away from their home. Sometimes, anxiety disorders in children also can cause physical signs, which may include stomachaches and headaches when being separated from their loved one.

And this fear of separation can interfere with the children’s daily life, like how they socialize with their friends and how their achievements in the school!

Separation anxiety disorder affect about 4-5 percent of children (7-11 years of old) in the United of States. This disorder is more common in young kids but less common in teenagers. There are approximately only 1.3 percent of teenagers in the U.S who have separation anxiety problem.

Causes of anxiety disorders in children

There are some possible factors that can lead to a separation anxiety disorder in kids. In many cases, these factors are usually after experiencing a significant trauma or stress in the kid’s life, which may include:

1. Loss of a loved one (like parent, pet, etc).
2. Having a certain disease that make a child stay in the hospital.
3. Changes in their environment (like moving to another school or another house).
4. Having parents that are too protective (over protective).

Furthermore, in fact there are many kids with separation anxiety disorders who also have a family member with certain mental disorders. This suggests that anxiety disorders in children may be inherited!

Symptoms

There are some signs or symptoms of separation anxiety disorder. Below is a helpful list for some of these symptoms:

Table source: WebMD

Treatments and Prevention

Most of mild separation anxiety disorders will go away on their own way without needing any treatments -- although the symptoms or signs may recur for many years (especially when stressful situations or events occur).

But for severe cases, certain treatments may be needed! Generally, most treatments that are used to treat severe separation anxiety disorders in children are usually purposed to reduce or ease anxiety in the child, educate the patients & their family about the requirement for natural separations, and develop a sense of security in the patients & their caregivers.

Some common ways to treat anxiety disorders (separation anxiety disorder) in children may include:

1. Medication! One of familiar medications to treat severe cases of this disorder is antidepressant.
2. Psychotherapy! It can be a single way or combined with other treatments and medicines. It is a kind of counseling (friendly therapy), which one of the main goals of this therapy is to help the patient tolerate being separated from their parents or caregivers.

And then what are ways that we can do to prevent anxiety disorders in children? There are no exact ways to prevent this disorder, but recognizing & acting on signs when they are present can help minimize stress! Parents or caregivers also can reinforce their child’s independence through more support & approval (this ways may help reduce the risk of this disorder to recur). And talk more with a psychiatrist or doctor for more in-depth information!

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Reference: WebMD
Image credit to ‘Shutterstock/Cheryl Casey’ for illustration