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Page 1 of 3 Detailed info on anxiety disorders in children and adolescents including social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, school refusal.
Children and teens have anxiety in their lives, just as adults do, and they can suffer from anxiety disorders in much the same way. Stressful life events, such as starting school, moving, or the loss of a parent, can trigger the onset of an anxiety disorder, but a specific stressor need not be the precursor to the development of a disorder.
While children can develop any of the recognized anxiety disorders, some are more common in childhood than others. Some disorders tend to be specific to age development. Separation Anxiety Disorder and Specific Phobia are more common in younger children, about ages 6-9 years old. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) are more common in middle childhood and adolescence. Panic Disorder can occur in adolescence as well. As with adults, depression has a high rate of comorbidity in children, especially among teenagers.
Although children experience the symptoms of anxiety in much the same way as adults do, children display and react to those symptoms differently. This can lead to difficulties in diagnosis. It can also be difficult to determine whether a child's behavior is "just a phase," or whether it constitutes a disorder.
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
SAD is usually diagnosed in the mid-teen years, but is found in children of preschool and grade school age. If not treated, SAD can persist into adulthood, and may place a child at risk for later depression and alcohol abuse.
What to look for:
- Fear of at least one social situation (such as recess) or performance situation (such as taking a test).
- Apparent fear when dealing with peers as well as when interacting with adults.
- When faced with feared situation the child suffers anxiety symptoms:
sweating
racing heart
stomachache
dizziness
crying
tantrums
freezing
- Avoidance or intense dread of feared situations.
- Interference with:
school performance/attendance
the ability to socialize with peers or
develop and maintain relationships.
Childhood SAD can show up in a number of ways:
School Refusal or Avoidance
A child experiencing more than just "school jitters" usually refuses to go to school on a regular basis, or has problems staying in school once there. This should not be confused with truant children who avoid school because of antisocial behavior or delinquency.
School refusal is often a symptom of a deeper problem and if not treated can have a negative impact on socialization skills, self-confidence, coping skills and, of course, education. Anxiety-based school refusal affects 2-5% of school-age children. It is common at times of transition, for example, graduating from elementary school to middle school and from middle school to high school. Anxieties tend to differ among age groups, but the most common stressors are:
separation anxiety
concerns about academic performance
anxieties about making friends
fear of a teacher or bully. |
The most common ages for school refusal are between five and six, and between ten and eleven. Children who suffer from school refusal tend to be average, or above average in intelligence.
Their stress may come out in the form of physical symptoms, such as:
headaches
stomachaches
nausea
diarrhea |
In addition to physical symptoms, there can be behavioral symptoms, which can manifest as:
tantrums
inflexibility
separation anxiety
avoidance
defiance |
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