Childhood Anxiety Disorder

Much the same as adults children can experience issues with anxiety. A certain amount of anxiety in children will not cause problems, however if the anxiety becomes intense and recurring they can quite easily disable the child. Increased levels of anxiety can affect the daily life of the child.

Here are some common causes of childhood anxiety disorder:

Change in Lifestyle - children can be dramatically affected by a families relocation. Moving away from their school and neighbourhood friends can make them very stressed and if the child cannot cope with stress it can lead to bouts of anxiety.

Separation anxiety - this is an excessive fear of being away from someone the child is comfortable being with.

School Phobia - the reason behind this phobia is not completely understood, what happens is the child will increasingly come up with excuses as to why they cannot go to school, complaining of toothaches, headaches, stomach aches anything to keep them away. School phobia is often linked to separation anxiety.

Relationship Problems - Family problems can play a large part in a child's anxiety issues. If a child experiences the loss of a family member this can trigger anxiety attacks. As can family conflicts, divorce or fighting in the family can be traumatic for a child.

Performance Anxiety - this can be a common problem for children who find themselves at the front of the class if they are not very good at their lessons or on the sports field if they are no good at sports.

General Anxiety Disorder - this is an uncontrollable fear of almost everything. Symptoms of GAD in children are the same as they are in adults.

Here are some of the possible symptoms that your child may display if they are suffering from a childhood anxiety disorder:

Bed wetting
Nightmares
Tantrums
Feeling of panic and fear
Fear of making mistakes
Fear of embarrassment
Not wanting to go out at all
Lack of confidence

Looking at the above list you have to agree that with some children it is very difficult to actually determine if a child has an anxiety problem. Due to the fact that the symptoms are similar to other physical, behavioural and psychological conditions it is very important if you do think your child may have a problem to take them to a doctor.

Doctors will usually prescribe medication to help relieve your child's anxiety issues. You may however wish to try alternative treatments such as:

Play Therapy - this is the child version of exposure therapy and is an effective treatment for anxiety in children.

Herbal Medicines - these can be an effective means for treating childhood anxiety disorder. Some of the most common herbs are: valerian, st. johns wart, and scullcap.

Original article

Panic Attacks and Childhood Experiences

For some reasons, admit that life can be unfair. How could certain people make you feel down and useless? How could they ruin your life just like that? Do they have some kind of control over your thought every time? How could a very important individual leave you? How can they be so mean? All the things mentioned above are the thoughts of a depressed person. Clouds of thoughts, concerns, and fear live in their heads.

It is a fact that childhood experience is a factor that influences how an adult thinks. Psychological analysis can verify this. Many adults battling worries had a sad and unpleasant childhood. They could happen to be patients of abuse and desertion. A verbal abuse encounter may affect mental tranquility at some point. Parents play an important role in a child's emotional and mental growth. This is the vital part an individual's life.

Being abandoned at an early age will result in separation anxiety later on. How a kid is brought up greatly influences a person's adulthood. In addition, it impacts how good they respond to things. Many of them grow to be strong against odds, some may be so vulnerable enough that they breakdown.

According to research children with no constant love and help will likely have negative mood, frustration, no sense of responsibility and always relying on other people when they mature.

Kids at a young age should experience love and at one time should learn how to be responsible at a young age. They should understand how to fix simple issues like when toys get dirty they must know how to clean it. They should be also present in family gatherings and recreation. Proper communication within loved ones is crucial. Families should eat with each other.

A foundation needs to be built at an early age. Our characters are built early. An individual's base as a good person also depends on how we are loved when we were young. How good our mother and father took care of us with ideals is priceless, they can't be bought anywhere. They were individuals who shaped our character right from the start.

One should know that as a parent, we should know what our children needs. Appropriate discipline ought to be carried out. This can prevent them from having doubts when they mature since trust was built and love was felt. This would really have a great impact on the child's personality thus helping them manage their issues regarding panic attacks.

Chris Dillard is a former panic and anxiety sufferer. He overcame this kind of condition by means of Natural Cures For Anxiety. He is now devoted in helping other sufferers overcome this condition and regain their lives back!

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Identifying Childhood Anxiety Symptoms

It is unfortunate, but children can suffer from anxiety as well as adults. For many parents, the symptoms of anxiety in their child may be frightening and even confusing. The symptoms that present in children are often much different than those found in adults.

A term that most parents will need to become familiar with is GAD, also known as Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Children who suffer from this disorder will often feel anxious or worried over various issues. These issues may include performance at school, relationships that they have with other children as well as other family members, athletic performance, and many others.

While it is true that most children will worry about these same issues, the child with GAD will worry excessively over them. Their feelings may become so overwhelming that they shy away from interacting with other people or avoid situations where they may feel pressured. Their reaction to these situations can have very negative effects on their lives.

Generally, children who suffer from GAD will become increasingly self-critical. They often need reassurance from others, and if that reassurance does not come, they can fall deeper into their symptoms. In some children, being anything less than perfect is not acceptable.

Many of these same children will find it hard to participate in group activities such as sports or other organized events. They often appear shy, which can also add to their issues, especially at school.

Some of the signs and symptoms that parents want to look for include:

Anxiety and worrying over a large variety of issues in which the child feels a sense of inadequacy. He or she may exhibit harsh, self-criticism or harsh self-evaluation on a variety of tasks including school work, sports, or relationships. The child may need constant reassurance of his or her actions.

In addition to emotional dilemmas, the child may also experience physical symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, nausea, muscle tension and frequent upset stomach.

Many children may also feel a sense of irritability or restlessness. They may have trouble sleeping and often wake up repeatedly during the night.

As these children age, they may turn to drugs and alcohol for relief of their symptoms. This path, of course, only adds to their turmoil and can result in severe depression or thoughts of suicide.

It is important to remember that these children may have difficulty in expressing how they feel. If you notice any signs of childhood anxiety, it is best to seek professional help.

Parents must understand that children with GAD need to be reassured. It is often a mistake to simply tell the child that they have nothing to worry about and leave it at that. Instead, urge the child to express his or her feelings.

If one or both of the parents are also suffering from anxiety issues, the child may pick up on this. Parents who often show their anxiety to their children become role models for the child in that the child mimics these same actions and expressions.

Again, seek help from your family pediatrician. A professional diagnosis is often needed in order for the child to get the proper treatment he or she needs. The good news is there are many treatment options now available and most children will benefit from these once treatment begins.

Want to learn more about anxiety symptoms in children? Click here to visit Anxiety Panic Solutions and learn more about anxiety in children treatment.

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Childhood Anxiety Treatment Options

Children can suffer from anxiety issues just as adults do. Their symptoms are somewhat different, and the causes may be slightly different as well, but the bottom line is these children are suffering and need help.

One of the challenges that parents face is recognizing the symptoms. It is no secret that children have issues as a normal part of growing up. Distinguishing between normal reactions and reactions based on anxiety can be difficult.

There are several treatment options that parents can consider once they have a professional diagnosis that their child has an anxiety disorder. These options are based on two broad categories: counseling and medication.

Under counseling, children with anxiety may benefit from psychotherapy. This type of treatment can help the child to learn coping skills in order for them to be less critical of themselves. For many children, they feel as if they have to be perfect in all things. This, of course, is impossible.

Because they feel they have to be perfect, children may avoid taking part in certain activities that they fear they may not excel in such as sports. Through psychotherapy, they can learn to be less severe on themselves.

Another counseling option is called Cognitive Behavioral-Therapy or CBT. This type of counseling is considered effective for children with anxiety disorders. It is most effective when taught by a trained professional. The goal is help the child to recognize when they are becoming worried or anxious and to then use the tools and skills taught to them to deal with their feelings in a positive manner.

In addition, school counseling can prove to be very helpful. This type of counseling can help children whose anxiety is school-performance based. Counselors at school can help children work through the specific issues that come about at school, including stress about grades and relationships with peers.

In terms of medications, children with severe symptoms may benefit from drug therapy. Drug therapy should never be started without first consulting with a professional health provider. Child psychiatrist specialize in prescribing medications for children, who have unique needs compared to adults.

For many children, antidepressant medications, such as Zoloft, Celexa, or Lexapro can be effective for anxiety. These drugs regulate certain types of chemistry within the brain.

In addition to medication and counseling, parents can also help their children by reassuring them and presenting a calm environment within the home. Parents can also teach their children relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises which are known to be effective in most children.

It's important for parents to help their children work through the anxiety, because children will often model the anxiety of their parents. The more a parent displays a calm demeanor, the more the child will have a good role model for how to approach their own anxiety.

Want to learn more about anxiety in children treatment? Click here to visit Anxiety Panic Solutions and learn about anxiety symptoms in children and what to do about them.

Original article

Childhood Anxiety Disorders

I know. It's a little strange to think of our kids as having anxiety. I mean, it seems more like the sort of thing characters in a Woody Allen film complain to their psychiatrists about than something your seven year old might be feeling. It's a complicated emotion after all. It requires a very developed imagination and a strong sense of possible futures.

But, yes, our kids - even our very young kids - have anxiety disorders too. This is especially likely if you suffer from anxiety disorders. Grade school is not too early to consider the possibility of childhood anxiety disorders.

Separation Anxiety

Typically, one of the earliest occurring childhood anxiety disorders is separation anxiety. Almost all young children feel a mild version of separation anxiety when they are separated from their parents for the first time. Most children will have fears and a bit of anxiety about going to school during the first week of kindergarten or pre-school.

When a child suffers from separation anxiety, however, these feelings of anxiousness and fear are on a whole new level. It is as if you have taken the mute off of your child as compared to the other children in his class. Separation anxiety children will typically cry and beg not to be left. They will have a longer more difficult adjustment period. And they will need more attention than the other children.

If the child's condition is very severe, they may even become violent or disruptive.

Adopted children are more likely to suffer from separation anxiety than most children since being left at an institution may remind the child of their original abandonment. Such children need to be constantly reassured that the parent will return. Sometimes some sort of a totem, like a rabbit's foot or picture of the parent, can help the child cope with the stress of the situation.

Phobias

As children begin to get older and develop their imaginations, those prone to anxiety may develop phobias. A phobia is an irrationally intense fear of a creature or object. Typically children will develop an intense fear of spiders or snakes or other creepy crawlers.

Although most children develop such fears, children suffering from phobias will have much more intense and prolonged reactions to the thing they fear. They may even suffer from panic attacks at the thought of such creatures. If the child fears spiders for example, they may come to see every spec as a potential spider. For such children, the bedtime ritual may be an especially trying time. The darkness will often make it easier for them to imagine their hobgoblins everywhere about them. For this reason it is important to observe regular rituals during bedtime.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Finally, if you suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, there is good chance your child will as well. Scientists believe this is both because of your genes and role modeling.

Children with GAD are constant worriers. Every opportunity for worry will be fully exploited. If you tell them about summer camp during Christmas break, you will hear their worries about it in January, in February, in March, etc.

GAD children often have headaches, stomachaches, nausea, and other minor afflictions. They will often feel physically ill on stress filled days. School is often the focus for this anxiety and so their symptoms more on school days than when they are just lounging around the house during the summer.

Later Anxiety Disorders

Although it is possible to have other anxiety disorders in early youth (like social anxiety disorder, for example) the three I've gone over are the most common childhood anxiety disorders. The good thing about detecting these anxieties in early childhood is that it gives your child a head start in dealing with his or her affliction. Many of us suffer for years before we finally seek the help we need for our anxiety disorders.

Tom Tait is focused on helping those with panic attacks. Here is more information on Anxiety and Depression disorders. There is even more information about Panic Attacks on the website Panic Attacks.

Original article