Fear is a normal and natural part of life. Fear is a part of our evolutionary process and it is natural for it to appear at certain periods of our lives. For example, the fear of separation from the caregiver or the reaction when noticing strangers emerges in human beings around 9 months of age. Of course, this may vary from child to child. As we get older, other natural fears begin to emerge. For example, fear of animals, fear of insects, fear of the dark and supernatural beings occur frequently. During adolescence, he begins to become more aware of other children and compares himself with them. During this period, fears and concerns regarding the young person's relationships with himself and his environment may arise.
When can anxiety become a problem?
Of course, there is a clear answer to this question. It's really hard to give. However, if the fears and anxieties have become more pronounced than the fears and anxieties of other children, it means that it is causing trouble. For example, most children are worried about germs and getting sick, but these worries and fears tend to cause problems in the child who puts this concern at the center of his life and washes his hands for a long time 10 times a day. The critical question here should be: To what extent do fears and concerns affect your child's daily life, school life, sleep and general health level? Do not forget to communicate with your child on this issue. Talk to him about his concerns and how they affect him. In this way, you can more easily decide whether the problem is serious or not.
Are anxiety and anxiety problems common in children?
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common psychiatric problems in childhood. Technically, it is seen in one in ten children. However, only 20% of children showing these problems can receive treatment. The biggest reason for this is that parents also experience anxiety problems and interpret these symptoms as "normal".
How does anxiety affect children?
Of course, anxiety problems such as schizophrenia, bipolar It does not have dramatic effects on the child's life, such as disorder or drug use. Still, anxiety problems can have a negative impact on a child's life. Anxious children generally tend to make fewer friends. Anxious children are generally Because they are shy, they may have difficulty meeting new children and entering social environments. Many anxiety disorders can cause academic problems. It is not because these children are incompetent or less intelligent, but because they do not feel safe and cannot give the necessary priority to the lesson because of their anxiety. Additionally, even if many anxious children do well in class, they fail exams because their anxiety affects their focus. I recommend you read the test anxiety article on our website regarding this subject.
How does anxiety manifest itself in children?
Each child is a different individual and no two anxious children behave exactly the same way. . However, there are major similarities that we can identify. Children who experience anxiety may find that it affects them in three ways. First, they experience anxiety in mental processes or thoughts. For example, he/she is worried that he/she or his/her relatives will be injured or that he/she will become a laughing stock. Secondly, he experiences anxiety physically in his body. For example, rapid heartbeat, increased respiratory rate, nausea, headache or sweating. Third, perhaps most importantly, anxiety affects the child's behavior. An anxious child cannot sit still, wanders around, cries and shakes. Some anxious children exhibit avoidance behaviors. Such as a child with school phobia not going to school or a child with dark phobia not taking out the garbage at night.
What are the Anxiety Disorders Seen in Children and Adolescents?
To briefly explain the Major Anxiety disorders;
Specific Phobias: Specific phobias are fears of certain objects or situations. A child with such a phobia is afraid of certain things; for example, darkness, height, spider, blood, needle, etc.
Separation Anxiety Disorder: Separation anxiety is the fear of being able to get away from the caregiver. Children with separation anxiety are shaken when they have to separate from their mother or caregiver for any reason. In some severe cases, the child cannot even move from room to room to avoid leaving the parent's sight. Refuses to spend the night in another house. Some children are separated from their parents When they get upset, they complain of stomach aches or physical illnesses, and many of them have tantrums.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Children and adolescents suffering from this disorder feel anxiety and anxiety in many areas of life. Parents generally refer to these children as "balls of anxiety". Such children worry and worry about many problems, from the safety of the home to classes, from the health of their parents to the problems of the country. In many, the evening news or thriller movies can cause anxiety attacks that can last for long days.
Social Anxiety Disorder or Social Phobia: Social anxiety disorder or social phobia is a child's fear of relating to other people or being the center of attention. It is the state of fear or anxiety felt in situations where one has to. These children generally have a shy temperament. The main problem is the fear that other people will think badly of him. These children may avoid meeting new people, talking on the phone, attending parties, speaking in front of the class, raising their hands, and eating in public places.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Recent scientific studies. They cannot agree on whether OCD is an anxiety disorder or another disease in itself. Indeed, clinically, both its diagnosis, follow-up and treatment are quite different from other anxiety disorders. However, worry and anxiety are a very important part of this disease. This disease, also known as obsession or delusion among the public, consists of compulsive thoughts that disturb the child (obsession) and the child's behaviors (compulsion) to relieve the discomfort caused by these thoughts. The source of anxiety in these children may be very different. It can occur in many areas, from thoughts about pollution and cleanliness to religious, sexual or aggressive thoughts. For example, the child is constantly worried about dirt or germs and may wash his hands for a long time and repeatedly to relieve this anxiety. Sometimes these problems may be accompanied by various tics and neurological symptoms. In such cases, it is of great benefit to consult a child and adolescent psychiatrist without wasting too much time.
Panic Disorder: Panic disorder is a transition to panic attacks. It is a state of fear and anxiety about dying. Panic attacks are a series of physical (heart palpitations, sweating, dizziness, tingling, shortness of breath, numbness) and mental (thinking you are having a heart attack, drowning, or losing your mind) symptoms that begin suddenly. Panic attacks occur unexpectedly and suddenly. Because of these symptoms, the child avoids many environments, cannot go to school, cannot be alone, and may show loyalty to the family. Especially in adolescents, panic disorder should be considered in cases of fainting or feeling like fainting.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Post-traumatic stress disorder; It occurs in response to a serious traumatic event that the child is extremely frightened of, injured in, or witnessed. Many events such as car accidents, acts of terrorism, war, natural disaster, sexual harassment and mugging are traumatic events. As a result of these events, every child shows some anxiety reactions to a greater or lesser extent. These are natural reactions that last for several weeks. However, in some children, reactions continue to increase for months. In addition to anxiety reactions, serious avoidance behaviors may also occur. Especially professionals working with sexual abuse cases often see these reactions. In addition, timidity, sleep disorders and irritability can be observed in these children.
What are the factors that cause anxiety in children?
It is very difficult to give a definitive answer on this issue. However, studies show that heredity is an important factor. It is observed that first-degree relatives of children with anxiety disorders have similar problems. However, they are personality traits that will predispose to anxiety rather than an inherited behavioral pattern. These children are born with a more emotional, more stress-prone brain chemistry. The good thing is that while these children have more sensitive, organized and perfectionist personality structures, wrong parental attitudes, negative life events and wrong role models cause anxiety problems to surface.
How should an Anxious Child be helped?
The duty of families in this regard is to focus on how the child should cope with anxiety rather than eliminating the cause of anxiety. As we mentioned above, the cause of anxiety disorders is often genes and or it could be negative life events experienced in the past. It does not seem possible to change these at the moment. However, keeping communication within the family open, displaying good role models and a supportive approach are important for families. If the child's life begins to be negatively affected by anxiety, you should not hesitate to seek help from an expert.
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