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Children can present symptoms of anxiety from very early stages: how to identify them?

2022-05-16T17:32:07.664Z


Anxiety disorders are characterized by persistent and excessive worry. We explain what this disorder looks like in children for early detection.


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(CNN)--

Your son doesn't want to go out to the playground to play with other children.

Or he doesn't want to go to a friend's birthday party or his class pool party.


How do you know if you're just having a bad day or if it's a sign of anxiety you may be experiencing?

Excessive attachment to parents may be a sign that a child is struggling with an anxiety disorder, according to experts.

Anxiety disorders are characterized by persistent and excessive worry.

While someone with generalized anxiety may worry about a variety of everyday things, those with social anxiety often have "intense or persistent fears or worries that other people will judge them negatively," explained Rachel Busman, a White Plains-based clinical psychologist and cognitive-behavioral counselor. , New York, who specializes in anxiety.

"You worry about saying or doing something that makes you look foolish or incompetent."

One-fifth of children worldwide have “clinically elevated” anxiety symptoms, meaning worse than what is considered normal, according to a 2021 study. In the United States, 9.4% of children among Between 2016 and 2019, between 2016 and 2019, between 3 and 17 years old ––about 5.8 million–– were diagnosed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (CDC, for its acronym in English).

Anxiety symptoms can be hard to spot.

But the earlier parents spot the signs, the sooner mental health professionals can "help parents and children understand what's going on," said Dr. Rebecca Baum, a professor of general pediatrics and adolescent medicine. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Children with anxiety may begin to avoid situations that trigger that emotion.

And this behavior can facilitate a cycle that makes their fears grow bigger and bigger, Baum added.

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But "the sooner we have tools, the sooner we can start a journey with kids that encourages them to be resilient and helps them face the things that are scary," Busman said.

Read on to learn about the early physical, emotional, and behavioral signs of both general and social anxiety, and ways you can help your child.

overall anxiety

The most common signs of general anxiety in children, according to the UK National Health Service, Michigan State University, Baum and Busman, include:

  • Difficult to focus

  • Trouble sleeping, wetting the bed, or having nightmares

  • not eating well

  • attachment

  • Lack of confidence to try new things or inability to deal with simple, everyday problems

  • Avoiding everyday activities, such as meeting friends or going out in public or to school

  • Inability to speak in some social situations

  • Repeated safety seeking (repeated questions to reconfirm concerns, such as when and where they are going to be picked up from school, or if the weather is going to be really good to go out and play)

  • Physical symptoms such as going to the bathroom frequently;

    crying;

    Headaches;

    dizziness;

    daze;

    sweating;

    stomach aches;

    nausea;

    cramps;

    vomiting;

    concern;

    o body aches (especially if they tend to occur before a school or social engagement)

Tantrums, irritability or defiant behavior can be misconstrued as disrespectful behavior problems, but anxiety could be the underlying cause, Busman said.

Refusing to do your homework could be due to anxiety about making mistakes.

Children "don't necessarily have the tools to say, 'This is really distressing,'" Busman said.

"So they show it by the way they behave."

social anxiety

Many of the symptoms of social anxiety are similar to those of general anxiety, but manifest in social settings, Busman said.

Children who suffer from social anxiety may exhibit these signs, according to the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Washington, the National Center for Social Anxiety and the Mayo Clinic:

  • Avoiding or refusing to go to school

  • Refusing to speak in social settings or speaking in a soft or low tone

  • Poor social skills, such as being afraid of strangers or not making eye contact

  • Fear or have difficulty using public restrooms, talking on the phone, making public presentations, eating in front of others, being called in class to participate, or separating from parents

  • Physical symptoms, such as a rapid heartbeat, tremors, trouble catching your breath, a feeling of a blank mind, and muscle tension

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conversations that count

It's important to get to the bottom of what's causing your child anxiety, but it should be done compassionately, without questioning.

That could lead to him being defensive or thinking he's in trouble and ultimately not wanting to talk to you.

Curious, non-leading questions are a good option, Busman recommended.

Open-ended questions like "I noticed you seemed hesitant to start that activity. Is something wrong?"

may work better than "Were you afraid to go in or don't you like those people?".

Ask your child how a certain event went, what they liked and what they found difficult.

Very young children may be unable to identify specific fears, such as saying something silly or having their anxiety noticed by other children, according to Anxiety Canada.

So some may verbalize those concerns in ways that make sense to them, like "I didn't want others to see my drawing" or "My voice sounds really funny," Busman explained.

If your child opens up about what makes him anxious, avoid invalidating the experience by saying "There's nothing to be afraid of" or "Don't be a baby."

Also avoid reinforcing fears: Responding "That's scary, I'm so sorry you had to do that" can make a child feel more fragile, Busman said.

A good balance might be: "That sounds hard," followed by a statement that acknowledges your child's ability to rise to the challenge and lets him know you know you can work it out together, Busman added.

If your child is anxious about starting soccer practice and not kicking the ball well, use some form of the above statement and reassure him that he will get better with practice.

But, don't overreact by saying that he will kick the winning goal, because that might not happen.

  • Curb Anxiety Before It Starts With These Strategies

"Sometimes it makes us nervous that our kids somehow experience moments that aren't perfect," Busman said, but it's crucial to teach them that imperfection is okay.

Your child may fail at times, and pleasing everyone is not realistic.

"Navigating stress is an important part of childhood," says Baum.

Parents and caregivers can model this by "talking about times when you've been anxious about something but tried to deal with it, even though it didn't turn out exactly the way you expected."

If you're worried that talking to your child's teachers might cause stigma or a problem where it might not exist, it's important to know that checking in with them is worth it, as they observe your child for many hours in different settings every day.

And so "they are usually very good sources of information," Busman said.

"Sometimes kids don't behave the same at home and at school," he noted.

A teacher can tell you how your child relates to his peers and if he is still sad or anxious after dropping him off at school.

When worries persist and "interfere with a child's ability to do the things they need to be a child," says Busman, "it's a good time to seek more support."

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The best treatment for anxiety disorders is cognitive behavioral therapy that includes some level of exposure therapy, which can help children feel comfortable doing the things that make them afraid, Busman said.

Your child's primary care provider can help "distinguish between what's typical for the child's age or developmental level and what might be cause for concern," Baum said.

"Even if symptoms are typical for a child's age, families may appreciate help managing them successfully."

And Baum added: "Getting into the child's comfort zone and even going beyond it (is) the point where growth occurs."

anxietyMental Health

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2022-05-16

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