Posts Tagged ‘children’

What Do Children Do When They Are Exposed To Feared Social Situations?

Friday, June 10th, 2011

When children are asked this, about a third have anxiety symptoms and do what they are supposed to. About 15% admit that they pretend they are sick to get out of it. Another 10% just cry.

Social Anxiety Disorder can be very disabling. They are often “loners” but don’t really want to be. These children have poor social skills. They are very lonely. When this is looked at, 75% of children with Social Anxiety Disorder had no or few friends. Half were not involved in any after school activities. Half said they did not like school and 10% refused to go to school.

There are quite a few different other anxiety disorders which are often found with Social Anxiety Disorder. Here is a thumbnail sketch of each:

Separation Anxiety disorder – This is a fear of being separated from your parents which is far more than one would expect for the child’s developmental stage. About 6% of children with Social Anxiety Disorder have this, too.

Generalized Anxiety disorder – These are people who worry all the time over nothing – themselves, others safety, their health, the world, and everything else you can imagine to a far great extent than the average. They often have many physical signs of anxiety – headache, abdominal pain, cramps diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness, and many others. About 10% of children with Social Anxiety Disorder have this, too.

Panic Disorder – Sudden onset of all sorts of physical signs which make most people think something horrible is about to happen, but it is just the brain giving you a rush of adrenaline for no good reason. About 2% of children with Social Anxiety Disorder have this, too.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – After something horrible happens to a child, sometimes they will keep thinking of it over and over, avoid things that remind them of that horrible thing, and being very nervous.

Phobias – An unreasonable fear of all sorts of things. Being in crowds, the dark, dying, and heights are common ones. This is very common in Social Anxiety Disorder. In a recent study, 87% of children with Social Anxiety Disorder had at least one ver distressing phobia. The top ten were : getting shots, having blood drawn, high places, seeing blood or scrapes, darkness, insects and bees, thunder and lightening, doctors, loud noises and water.

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Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011

What signs and symptoms do children and adolescents have?

You can see signs of Social Anxiety Disorder as early as a year old. Children with this problem are less interested in exploring new things. Rather than becoming excited by new things, they are much more likely to be scared. As pre-schoolers, they are shy around strangers and may not speak well to people outside of the family. More children with Social Anxiety Disorder than you would expect have some mild to moderate speech and/or language problem. Others are shy and also have some disfiguring medical problem which makes them more noticeable. However, most have no language or physical problem. Children with this problem almost never are thought to require assessment at this point.

Here are the “top ten” most feared social situations:
* Reading aloud in front of class
* Musical or athletic performances
* Joining in on a conversation
* Speaking to Adults
* Starting a Conversation
* Writing on the blackboard
* Ordering food in a restaurant
* Attending dances or birthday parties

Less Common ones are:
* Answering questions in class,
* Working or playing with other kids,
* Asking the teacher for help,
* Gym Class,
* Pictures,
* Inviting a friend over,
* Eating in a cafeteria with kids,
* Walking in the hallway,
* Answering the phone and eating in front of others.

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Social Anxiety Disorder Causes

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

Usually to have Social Anxiety Disorder that is severe enough to come to my attention, the cause is a combination of two things, genetics and environment.

Genetics – Anxiety disorders are inherited. Many children will have one or even two parents with an anxiety disorder, but not necessarily Social Anxiety Disorder. Many people think that this inheritance is in part expressed through something called Behavioral Inhibition.

Behavioral Inhibition is a tendency to react negatively to new situations or things. Some infants and children will be very happy and curious about new people and things. However, roughly 15% of children will be shy, withdrawn, and irritable when they are in a new situation or with new people or things. Other children are just fearful in general. Often these children and irritable as infants, shy and fearful as toddlers, and cautious, quiet, and introverted at school age. Children who are consistently this way are much more likely to have biological parents with anxiety disorders. They are also more likely to develop Social Anxiety Disorder later in childhood or in adolescence. For example, if a child is not fearful and does not avoid social situations, there is only a 4-5% chance they will get Social Anxiety Disorder as teenagers. However if a child is fearful and avoids social situations when they are little, about 20-25% will have Social Anxiety Disorder as teenagers (1). At the moment it is thought these traits of Behavioral inhibition is what is inherited. This tendency towards being fearful and socially avoidant runs in families and can lead to Social Anxiety Disorder.

Environment – By this I mean everything other than genetics. Some of the environmental causes of Social Anxiety Disorder are: a Speech or language problem, a disfiguring physical illness, abuse, neglect, being raised by very nervous people and having certain extremely embarrassing experiences – vomiting during show and tell, having diarrhea in class, tripping on a stage and falling on someone during a performance at school, etc.

In most cases it is a combination of both genetics and environment. It takes a big genetic load (both parents have multiple anxiety disorders) to cause Social Anxiety Disorder in the absence of any environmental problem. Likewise, it takes a huge environmental cause (massive abuse and neglect) to cause an anxiety disorder when there is no family history of nervousness.

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How To Overcome Social Anxiety in Children?

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

This is one of the most common psychiatric illnesses. Up to 14% of adults have this. About .1% of children have this disorder or one in a thousand. The official criteria for it are as follows:

1. A marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others. The individual fears the he or she will act in a way (or show anxiety symptoms) that will be humiliating or embarrassing.
2. Exposure to the feared social situation almost invariably provokes anxiety, which may take the form of panic, crying, tantrums, freezing, or shrinking from social situations with unfamiliar people.
3. If they are an adult or teenager, the person realizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable.
4. The feared social or performance situations are avoided or else endured with intense anxiety or distress.
5. The avoidance, anxious anticipation, or distress in the feared social or performance situations interferes significantly with the person’s routine, academic functioning, or social activities.

It is important to teach children how to overcome social anxiety because it can make a huge impact on their development of becoming a happy and successful adult. It has been reported that about 40% of the symptoms of social anxiety can be developed before a child turns 10 and almost 95% before they become 20 years old. Children need every resource available to reduce this statistic, because if something isn’t done to correct their social anxiety when they are young, it might carry with them into their adult years.

It may be tempting to think that a child will just grow out of excessive shyness, self consciousness and be able to overcome social anxiety. If the problem is ignored and the child never receives help to overcome social anxiety, they can close themselves off from opportunities that are a result of social interactions. On the other hand, if a preadolescent child can learn how to overcome social anxiety, they can expand their potential greatly.

Many parents and teachers have chosen the BoostKids program because it is designed to increase self esteem and confidence in children, which can combat a child’s social anxiety. The program can be used to give children the assistance they need to overcome social anxiety and receive the benefits that are the result of being a well rounded individual, by teaching them social skills that will help them address social situations with confidence.

It makes no difference what a person ends up doing in their life because every one of the happiest and most successful individuals in the world have confidence in themselves. Self confidence is one of the essential keys to development. When a person is confident, they create opportunities for themselves that further aid their development.

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How to Spot Anxiety and Stress in Children

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Anxiety and stress in children is a common problem. As with adults, children respond differently to anxiety and stress depending on their age, individual personalities and coping skills. When it comes to anxiety and stress in children, younger grade-schoolers may not be able to fully explain their feelings whereas older kids may be able to say exactly what’s bothering them and why (though that’s no guarantee that they’ll share that information with mom or dad).

In most cases, fear and anxiety and stress in children change or disappear with age. For instance, a kindergartener who experiences separation anxiety may become a social butterfly who bounds into school in the later grades. A second grader who is afraid of the dark or is afraid of monsters may grow into a kid who loves ghost stories.

Once parents determine whether the stress or anxiety in their child is something temporary or a more deeply-rooted anxiety disorder, they can then find ways to handle stress and anxiety in children.

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Types of Anxiety Disorders in Children

Monday, April 5th, 2010

What are the Types of Anxiety Disorders in Children?

Generalized anxiety disorder. Children who have generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, experience constant, excessive, and uncontrollable fears about any number of everyday things such as grades, family issues, performing well in sports, being on time, or even natural disasters. Children with generalized anxiety disorder may be more likely to be perfectionists. They may experience trouble sleeping, irritability, or find it difficult to concentrate at school.

Separation anxiety disorder. Toddlers frequently experience separation anxiety when a parent or caregiver leaves the room. As children get older and attend daycare, preschool or kindergarten, they can experience separation anxiety when they are dropped off by mom or dad. Separation anxiety usually goes away as children become acclimated to their new environment and caregiver or teacher. But even beyond kindergarten, a child can have trouble being separated from a parent and may experience excessive distress or anxiety. Grade-schoolers who have separation anxiety disorder may be reluctant to go to school or sleep alone. Children with separation anxiety disorder may also fear that something bad will happen to their parents or themselves when they are not together.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Children who have obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD, have frequent thoughts that they can’t control called obsessions. They may feel compelled to perform routines and rituals, called compulsions, to try to control their thoughts and ease their anxiety. For instance, a child with OCD may spend a lot of time performing rituals involving hand washing, counting, repeating words, or repeatedly checking and rechecking things to keep unpleasant thoughts, images, or feelings at bay.

Post-traumatic stress disorder. Children can develop post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, after witnessing or experiencing a life-threatening or traumatic event such as a robbery or a car accident. While it’s normal to be fearful, worried, or sad after experiencing a frightening event, many children may recover fairly quickly. However, some children — particularly those who experienced the traumatic event directly or who lack a strong support system at home — can develop PTSD. These children can continue to experience flashbacks, nightmares, insomnia, depression, and intense fear and anxiety, and reenact the traumatic incident while playing. They may withdraw and avoid people, places and activities months after the traumatic event.

Phobias. Children with a phobia have an intense, extreme, and irrational fear of something specific, such as a dog, needles, or the dark. Other common phobias in children include fear of thunderstorms, flying, water, heights, and blood. Children with phobias are less likely than adults to be able to put their fears into proportion or realize that their fears are irrational.

If you suspect that your child may have an anxiety disorder, talk to your pediatrician and child mental health experts. Early diagnosis and treatment are important for effective treatment of anxiety disorders in children. Untreated anxiety disorders in children can have a negative effect on developing friendships and may lead to problems at school and low self-esteem.

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What Are Anxiety Disorders in Children?

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Anxiety is a normal and common part of childhood. In most cases, anxiety in children is temporary, and may be triggered by a specific stressful event. For example, a young child may experience separation anxiety when starting preschool or kindergarten. Or a child may see a scary movie or learn about a tragic news event and have trouble sleeping.

In some cases, however, anxiety in children can be persistent and intense, and can interfere with a child’s daily routines and activities such as going to school, making friends, or sleeping. When anxiety in children is constant and serious, and doesn’t go away with reassurance and comfort, it is classified as an anxiety disorder.

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Children Anxiety

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Our Daughter is Suffering From Anxiety But We Don’t Know Why!

Our daughter is nine years old. She has always been shy but still has a core group of friends she plays with regularly. Lately she seems to have developed an anxiety that we can’t put our finger on. She’s doing very well in school and seems to look forward to going. She has after-school activities such as ballet and swimming which she enjoys. We have brought her to the doctor and she doesn’t seem to have any medical problem, but recently she has been crying and complaining of abdominal pains.

If there is anything bothering her she seems unable to tell us what it is. We regularly give her reassurance and let her know she can talk to us if anything is wrong. Her grandmother died 10 months ago and, although she was very close to her, we are unsure whether this is bothering her now, as she has not been particularly upset in recent months. Apart from that there have been no other major changes in her life.

Her teacher assures us she is doing fine, although she is still shy in class and never initiates conversations. We have no idea what can be causing the anxiety and would be grateful if you have any thoughts on the issue.

A: I don’t have any great insights into why your daughter may be experiencing the anxiety that you describe. However, I do have some ideas that may help you to explore the area with her even though she has seemed “unable” to tell you so far.

Children feel unable to discuss their feelings – or what is causing them to feel the way they do – with their parents for several reasons. Sometimes they simply don’t know the words or don’t understand the feeling and can’t articulate the difficulties that they are having. Sometimes they are afraid that they will disappoint their parents if they tell them (for example, they fear their parents will think they are stupid or incapable of explaining). Sometimes they are too ashamed or embarrassed by their feelings or the source of their feelings. Sometimes they fear that they will make a bad situation worse if they tell their parents (for example, if they have been threatened not to tell by a bully). Finally, sometimes younger children assume that their parents already magically know the reasons and so there is no need to explain it.

So bear this in mind when talking to your daughter. Start by suggesting to her that tummy pains often come from being worried about things and that we can get the pains even when we don’t know what we are worried about. This gives her permission to “not know” why she feels as she does.

Then talk to her about some reasons that you know about why other children have been worried. Within this you can list a whole range of anxiety-provoking things like fear of failure (not doing well in school), feeling overwhelmed by homework, missing someone who is dead, being bullied or picked upon, feeling that school work is too hard, not knowing how to be comfortable in a big group of children, and so on.

Providing multiple choice options like this can allow children to choose the best fit for them. If she does identify that any of the suggested reasons make sense to her then you just continue to explore the issue in an empathic way. Don’t judge her feelings (for example, avoid statements like “that’s a silly reason to be afraid”), just acknowledge that they are there. Try not to rush into solving a problem that she might identify. Often children just want their problem to be understood by someone else initially, and then later work out a solution themselves or look for the help to do so.

After listing a range of anxiety-provoking situations it is possible that she will identify that none of the suggested reasons seems to fit. However, if none fit and you then ask, “Mmmm, I wonder what else it might be then?” in a genuinely open and inquisitive way, many children will have a go at naming the anxieties they have because they are encouraged by the level of understanding their parents have already shown, or because they can get one up on us because we didn’t guess the right reason.

If, even then, she still has not been able to identify the reason, you can take the pressure off her by saying, “Okay, well if you feel worried and we don’t know why then it must be because it is a tricky worry and we’ll just have to wait until we understand it better. But I have confidence that together we can sort it out; it might just take time.” You can even suggest some of the reasons why worries are hard to talk about and to understand, from the list I gave earlier.

In this way you leave the door wide open to continue to explore the source of the anxiety, but you also give her a very clear message that you are simply on her side, supportive of her and willing to go at her pace.

As you then wait over the next days or even weeks you may find that the seeds of exploration you have sown can unconsciously prompt your daughter to be more alert to her real feelings and the source of them or that other, third-party information comes to light which may illuminate a cause.

Whatever happens, be mindful of the fact that, as parents, we can’t solve all of our children’s problems. Struggling through worries, fears, difficulties and upsets is a normal and important part of every child’s development. Overcoming those situations, alone or with support, can give a child a great sense of confidence and self-belief.

While I can absolutely understand your desire to help and to eradicate the anxiety, it is good enough to simply be available. As long as you stand beside her and give her the clear message as you do that you are always willing to help then it may be as much as you can do and as much as you need to do.

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Overweight Kids Experience More Loneliness and Anxiety

Monday, November 30th, 2009

As childhood obesity rates continue to increase, experts agree that more information is needed about the implications of being overweight as a step toward reversing current trends. Now, a new University of Missouri study has found that overweight children, especially girls, show signs of the negative consequences of being overweight as early as kindergarten.

“We found that both boys and girls who were overweight from kindergarten through third grade displayed more depression, anxiety and loneliness than kids who were never overweight, and those negative feelings worsened over time,” said Sara Gable, associate professor of human development and family studies in the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences. “Overweight is widely considered a stigmatizing condition and overweight individuals are typically blamed for their situation. The experience of being stigmatized often leads to negative feelings, even in children.”

MU researchers used the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) to examine the social and behavioral development of 8,000 school-age children from kindergarten entry through third grade. The researchers evaluated factors that have not been studied previously: age at becoming overweight and length of time being overweight.

“Girls who were consistently overweight, from kindergarten through third grade, and girls who were approaching being overweight were viewed less favorably than girls who were never overweight,” said Gable, an MU State Extension Specialist. “Teachers reported that these girls had less positive social relations and displayed less self-control and more acting out than never-overweight girls.”

The results indicate that larger than average children, especially girls, experience social and behavioral challenges before they reach the 95th percentile of the Body Mass Index and are classified as being overweight. More research is needed to develop alternative approaches for categorizing children’s weight and creating effective intervention programs, Gable said.

“Most appearance-based social pressure likely originates in the eye of the beholder,” Gable said. “Therefore, intervention and prevention efforts should be designed for everyone. All kids should learn what constitutes a healthy weight and healthy lifestyle.”

MU researchers will continue to use the ECLS-K to study the implications of being overweight for children’s development.

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Children Anxiety Disorder Cure

Monday, August 10th, 2009

Children are subjected to a number of psychological complaints. Anxiety in children is something that is not to be left ignored. Children get worried although the problem may seem very small to the adults. We find that minor anxieties are present in children, but serious disorders of anxiety are not common. You need to understand the differences between these two, so that if there is a problem it can be treated well.

Children are subjected to a huge number of concerns and fears. The fear of upcoming exams, the fear of monsters or the fear due to separation, are real to the little children who suffer from them. If the anxiety is the normal, it does fade away with time. The fears cross the limit sometimes and are no longer normal. That is when they have crossed a certain degree of anxiety and can not be controlled. Many of the problems like: specific disorders, separation anxiety disorders, many classes of problems concerned with anxiety and social anxiety disorder, are quite common today.

We do find teens being affected by both depression and anxiety at the same time. If you do not treat children who are affected by disorder of anxiety, they may be at a higher risk of getting a lot more problems including: substance abuse, inability in developing social skills and failure in school.

It is advised that caretakers, parents and the adults who are around need to keep track of any changes or if the children are showing any signs of anxiety. It is recommended that parents of these children must avail some professional help. This problem of anxiety can be treated easily and is also curable in a few cases.

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