Panic Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety and stress are a normal part of life. However, anxiety disorders occur when anxiety becomes irrational, excessive, and negatively affects a person’s functioning. Children and adolescents with anxiety disorders typically experience intense fear, worry, or uneasiness that can last for long periods of time. This anxiety significantly affects their lives. If not treated early, anxiety disorders can lead to problems in school, reluctance to go to school, social difficulties with family and peers, low self-esteem, abuse of alcohol or substances, trouble in work settings, and anxiety disorder in adulthood.

Effective therapies for anxiety disorders are available, and research is uncovering new treatments that can help most people with anxiety disorders lead productive, fulfilling lives.

Some common anxiety disorders include:

* Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

* Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

* Panic Disorder

* Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

* Social Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Generalized Anxiety Disorder can begin at any age though it is most likely to start in childhood.iv People with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) will worry excessively about a variety of everyday problems for at least 6 months.v Children, pre-teens, and teens with GAD can’t relax, may startle easily, have trouble focusing, and will sometimes have trouble sleeping. Other signs of GAD can include fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, having to go to the bathroom frequently, feeling out of breath, and hot flashes. When their anxiety is bothering them, children with GAD can have trouble completing tasks, like homework.

If you think your son or daughter might have GAD, talk to a health care provider like a nurse or doctor, the counselor at your child’s school, or a mental health professional.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Children, pre-teens, or teens with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) constantly have thoughts that bother them (obsessions). They will develop routines and rituals (compulsions) in an attempt to control the stress these thoughts cause. At their worst, these rituals can take over a young person’s life.

Parents concerned about OCD should look for the most common OCD compulsions

* Excessive hand washing due to fear of germs

* Counting constantly

* Repeating words silently

* Repeatedly rechecking completed tasks

OCD affects about 2.2 million Americans.vii It usually appears in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood.viii OCD can change over time, and the effects of OCD can get weaker or stronger. Sometimes these effects fade completely.

In some cases, OCD can prevent children from feeling comfortable and behaving normally at home, at school, or in social situations. Some people with OCD may try to help themselves by avoiding situations that will upset them. In some cases, teens with OCD will turn to alcohol or drugs to try to calm themselves.

If your son or daughter shows signs of OCD, or you have any questions, talk to a health care provider like a nurse or doctor, the counselor at your child’s school, or a mental health professional.

Panic Anxiety Disorder

Panic disorder causes sudden attacks of terror. These attacks are called panic attacks and can last minutes to hours. During these panic attacks, a teen can experience:

* A pounding heart

* Weakness, dizziness, or feeling faint

* Nausea

* Chest pain

* Numbness in the hands

* Feeling like they are being smothered

Children can suffer a panic attack at any time, even during sleep. Panic attacks often begin in late adolescence or early adulthood.xi However, just because a teen has a panic attack doesn’t mean that he or she has panic disorder – one panic attack does not equal panic disorder.

If you are concerned that your son or daughter might have panic disorder, talk to a health care provider like a nurse or doctor, the counselor at your child’s school, or a mental health professional.

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

We often hear about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as something that affects adults (such as war veterans), but it can happen to a child who has experienced or witnessed trauma or traumatic events.

PTSD can affect children who have survived some sort of trauma. Children don’t have to be physically harmed to suffer from PTSD. Children can suffer from PTSD if something bad happens to them, if they witness a traumatic event, or a trauma happens to someone they love.

Children suffering from PTSD can show the following signs:

* Difficulty sleeping

* Emotional numbness (not feeling happiness or sadness, for example, when they should)

* Losing interest in favorite activities or hobbies

* Aggression

* Displays of violence

* Flashbacks

* Frequent bad dreams

PTSD affects about 7.7 million American adultsxii, but it can occur at any age, including childhood.xiii Children suffering from PTSD may also face depression, substance abuse, or one or more of the other anxiety disorders.

If you believe that you child is suffering from PTSD, please talk to a health care provider like a nurse or doctor, the counselor at your child’s school, or a mental health professional.

Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)

Children with social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, are so self-conscious that they find it very, very hard to take part in social situations. Children with social anxiety disorder have an intense and often constant fear of being watched and judged by others. They are very afraid of doing something that will embarrass them.

Sometimes this fear is caused by one specific thing or situation. For example, a child might worry for days, even weeks, leading up to a school test or oral presentation. Sometimes this fear is not caused by anything specific. In this case, a child with social anxiety disorder may be uncomfortable around anybody except family. This can make it very hard for a child or youth to make friends or attend school.

Signs of social phobia in children and youth include:

* Being overly sensitive to criticism

* Having trouble being assertive

* Suffering from low self-esteem

Social phobia affects about 15 million Americans It usually begins in childhood or early adolescence. People with social anxiety disorder may also have other anxiety disorders or depression. Some people with social anxiety disorder may also develop problems with substance abuse.

If you have questions or think your son or daughter might have social anxiety disorder, talk to a health care provider like a nurse or doctor, the counselor at your child’s school, or a mental health professional.

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