Children and Anxiety

By Ai Qin Lee

During the first day of school, there is a high probability that a developing child would experience a small amount of anxiety. As the child starts a new journey in his or her life, the child would develop a sense of independency, which can cause fear and anxiety. And when the child reached the adolescence stage, the child will encounter a new dilemma, finding his or her identity and sexuality.

Anxiety disorder in child can potentially cause mental, physical and psychological complications, including depression. It arises due to genetic factor, environment factor, history and psychological profile.

One factor that contributes to anxiety disorder is the idea that the child will be separated from his or her mother. The separation causes fear of being alone and fear of meeting strangers which in turn develop into anxiety. Children with these emotional and behavioral symptoms more often cling to parents and unwilling to be separated from their parents.

As children come to age, most of them become self-conscious and have self-doubt and worries. Maybe, the reason is due to environment and social factors. Evoking a new journey and finding the right social network in which they belong can sometimes be scary for children.

Slowly, the anxiety will eat up the life of a child and starts dominating him or her. During this time, the child would cry and whine constantly without knowing why. The child will also lose focus and appetite. The child emotion at this point is too hard to control.

Once the child is hit with anxiety attack, the child would experience the sense of dying or insanity and also the child would think he or she is having a heart attack. Nightmares will come every night and thus the child lacks sleep and experiences irritability. The child's stubbornness and anger will become intolerable.

After the anxiety attack, there is high probability that the child will make a barrier against his or her family and peers. Poor academic performance and loss interest will soon follow.

Once the anxiety affects the performance/life of a child, consulting a qualified mental health professional is necessary. Keep in mind that a child with anxiety disorder will be difficult to diagnose due to the similarity of anxiety symptoms to other disorders such as ADHD and OCD. - 29881

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