Children often experience anxiety while they are in a development stage. A child, much like adults, have stressful events such as the first day at school, lose of a loved one or something as simple as a friend moving away can begin the onset of anxiety. Even though children experience symptoms of anxiety they do not react to them the same as an adult would. Anxiety disorders in children are usually under-reported and often overlooked. The condition is treatable with consistent medical care.
A child's diet can be a leading cause or trigger that may be bringing on the anxiety and related symptoms. Yellow and Red dye in food is the leading cause of many dietary issues in regard to this disorder. Simply monitoring food intake of these dyes can easily alleviate this. A quick check of the content label will make you aware of foods that use yellow and/or red dye.
Anxiety child disorder is one of the most common medical conditions in the United States, affecting more than 13% of children as well as adolescents every year. Here are a few anxiety disorders commonly found in children:
o Panic Disorder: Intense fear is the cause of panic disorders. The fear is usually unknown. It tends to develop after a child has experienced trauma or has been exposed to a fearful situation. It is often characterized by certain symptoms like chest pain, faster heartbeat, dizziness and sweating.
o Separation Anxiety Disorder Children: It is caused due to extreme distress, worries or stress. It mainly strikes after a child has been separated from someone to whom he/she was attached the most. The fear is about losing a loved one or family. This typical anxiety disorder type can cause a lot of problems in a child's life and affect his/her growth as well.
o Phobias: Phobias are more intense and overwhelming fears, often connected to certain objects or specific situations. Usually, children having phobias would often avoid those things that trigger their fear. There are 2 commonly occurring phobias in children - social phobia and specific phobia. Social phobia is a case in which a person experiences strong fear or discomfort in expressing themselves of even coming out in public. This is a common problem in children. Specific phobia involves the fear of certain things in particular, such as heights, animals etc.
o OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Not very common in children though, OCD often results from constant worries about developing severe diseases, contamination or certain doubts. The behaviors are so intense that it is often difficult to control; children themselves cannot control their compulsion or compulsive behavior.
o PSTD- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: This type of anxiety disorder is common in kids who have witnessed some fearful incidents like accident, sexual abuse and any such violent events. There are many characteristic symptoms of these conditions, and the symptoms usually differ with age.
o Generalized Anxiety Disorder: This is the most common form of anxiety disorder in children that results due to fear, worries or unnecessary stress factors. The symptoms of this condition include fatigue, tiredness, muscle tension and headaches. This is a hereditary condition that worsens with chronic tension and stressors.
Anxiety child disorder may be treated with medications and various forms therapy. If diagnosed early enough it is possible to completely rid a childhood anxiety disorder.
Randy Beckett is an author, speaker and consultant with over 30 years experience. For great information on anxiety child disorder, visit http://www.solvingpanicattacks.com.
