Anxiety

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics show that over 7% of children between 3 and 17 have diagnosable anxiety. If your child or teen has persistent or extreme fears and worries, visit Katherine Peppers, DNP, CPNP-PC, CPMHS, at Behavioral & Developmental Pediatrics in Raleigh, North Carolina. Katherine and her highly experienced colleagues offer compassionate care that helps children and their parents work towards successfully overcoming anxiety. Call the office to arrange an anxiety evaluation or book an appointment online today.

How does anxiety affect children?

It’s normal for children to feel anxious when faced with challenging tasks or unfamiliar situations and people. Many young children go through stages where they fear things like the dark, monsters, and thunderstorms. In contrast, older children worry about school and friendships.

Children usually grow out of their fears, so it could be a cause for concern if they don’t. However, it’s important to recognize that anxiety is natural, and it’s only if symptoms are persistent that your child might receive an anxiety disorder diagnosis.

What symptoms do children with anxiety experience?

Children with an anxiety disorder may develop some or many of the following symptoms:

• Irritability
• Anger and/or aggression
• Bedwetting
• Appetite changes
• Chronic fatigue
• Problems at school
• Headaches and stomach aches
• Nervous habits like nail-biting
• Nightmares or night terrors
• Restlessness
• Social withdrawal
• Difficulty concentrating
• Insomnia

Children affected by excessive anxiety often display different symptoms than those present in adults, so even if you’ve had anxiety, you may not recognize it in your child.

Anxiety symptom frequency and intensity vary depending on your child’s type of anxiety disorder and its severity.

What anxiety disorders affect children?

Anxiety disorders most likely to affect children include the following:

Separation anxiety

Separation anxiety is an extreme fear of being apart from parents/caregivers. It’s common in young children but typically fades by age 4. Symptoms include severe distress when parted from their parent and refusing to go anywhere without them.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

GAD symptoms include excessive fear and worry for six months or more that doesn’t focus on a single concern. Your child will likely be anxious about most things, from school and friends to losing you. GAD typically affects a child’s grades and causes appetite, sleep, and behavioral changes.

Phobias

Phobias are extreme or irrational fears of something specific, such as spiders or water.

A more unusual anxiety disorder affecting children is selective mutism, where children refuse to talk or only talk where they feel safe, like at home.

Other anxiety-related conditions that affect children include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and eating disorders.

How do I help my child overcome anxiety?

If you’re worried your child has an anxiety disorder, visit Behavioral & Developmental Pediatrics for an evaluation. Its practitioners have extensive experience diagnosing and treating children with all forms of anxiety, helping them overcome their fears using age-appropriate counseling.

Call Behavioral & Developmental Pediatrics to schedule your child’s anxiety assessment or book an appointment online today.