One may not be able to see at first glance that a simple fidgeting boy or girl during important events may have been evident of a much bigger cause than stage fright, child experts say. It is one way to be afraid of being under the spotlight but to these excessive worrying often stems from a deeper reason which some may say as an anxiety disorder. General anxiety disorder among children has seen to be the most common mental disorders, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The said organization has even said that a 25.1 percent of 13 to 18 year old are under its spell.
When one feels anxious during an important occasion, there are several indications which may be seen. Characteristics of children with such disorders are:
- Excessive worrying or fear on almost everything.
- Has the need to feel or think that everything is perfect.
- Overly criticizes themselves.
- Constantly feels guilty of all the bad things that are happening.
- May be too dependent and seeks approval of those who are around them.
- May have physical symptoms during their anxiety attack such as diarrhea, nausea and insomnia among others.
- Preoccupation of negative thoughts would lead to restlessness.
There are several child psychiatrists that say that most children are not aware that they are worrying excessively and parents may need to look out for these symptoms. Children may not be able to enjoy their childhood whilst they are suffering from uncontrollable fear, although it often develops slowly. The worrying grows by the day but most cases would only mature when they grow older. Several consultations may be made before one may truly know that they have generalized anxiety disorder because the complaints may only be about the physical symptoms.
Parents who see their children go through these attacks on a day to day basis may well be at their wits end in finding a solution. Psychiatrists believe that each child has their own special needs and the treatment requires for it to be suited to the needs of the child. They may start to feel that they are different from the others and so as the others might also notice. For these, parents may consider having their child take their antidepressants such as Zoloft. Though, there might be some issues that are found in the Zoloft birth defects information center that caused parents to double think it.
URL References:
nimh.nih.gov/statistics/1ANYANX_child.shtml
childrenshospital.org/az/Site948/mainpageS948P4.html
helpguide.org/mental/generalized_anxiety_disorder.htm
