Children Experience Anxiety Too
Children experience anxiety as part of their everyday life, fears at a young age are common, but there is a need for parents to know what is normal childhood fear, and what maybe a Anxiety Disorder. Young children often have a fear of going to the doctors, or of sleeping in the dark, at a slightly older age they may suffer anxiety when they first start kindergarten or their first day at school. This is normal but if the anxiety interferes with their everyday life, it should be treated as soon as possible.
Anxiety can start as early as 6 months old, babies may fear large objects, loud noise or separation. With toddlers and pre-school age children the fears may include being alone and darkness. School age children may fear ghosts, failure, tests criticism and like adults actual physical harm and threats. Younger children don’t worry like adult or older children, as they don’t have the mechanics to imagine future events or bad things associated with the future.
Children quite often react to change, whether it be moving house, a break up of their parents relationship or the death of someone close. It is important parents take a child’s anxiety seriously, and help then cope with change in a caring and positive manner. Children with Anxiety quite often have the same symptoms as adults, but find it harder to express how they are feeling, and often a child will act out when they are distressed. If parents see a change in their child’s behavior they should get a professional opinion.
Even doctors can have trouble diagnosing anxiety in children, and often parents don’t recognize the symptoms either so if parents notice their child is acting differently than normal, they can talk to their child openly and see if there is anything that is stressing them. Listen and then act accordingly, because if your child develops an Anxiety Disorder they will need treatment promptly.
Children with untreated anxiety often develop poor social skills, are at a high risk of not doing well at school and as they get older may self medicate with drugs or alcohol. That’s why treatment is vital when they first start showing signs of anxiety, if necessary get more than one doctors opinion.
I remember being scared when I was younger, and through my teenage years and most of my adulthood, when I was a child anxiety wasn’t a disorder and fear was just fear. We didn’t get professional help unless it was a physical injury or illness. Mental illness wasn’t talked about like it is today, had it been I may have learned to manage my anxiety a lot earlier and had a different and happier life.
I don’t blame anyone for my anxiety, I just wish I my mother knew what to look for and had more information about mental illness. I urge all parents to look for the signs of anxiety in your child, it may just be normal childhood fear which can be helped with love and support, but it may not and can turn into a Anxiety Disorder. Even if you are not sure it won’t hurt to find out for sure from a professional.
Anxiety and Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is a condition that some sufferers of Anxiety or Panic Disorder develop if their condition isn’t treated. Contrary to popular belief Agoraphobia is not a fear of leaving the house, but a progressive condition that has the sufferer scared to be in a situation where escape from a Panic Attack seems unavoidable and difficult. Agoraphobia can lead to a vicious circle you may be frightened of having a Panic Attack and find yourself having a Panic attack through fear of having one, this re-occurs over and over until the condition is treated.
I avoided looking for work, going to social functions and many other situations because of this. Even getting in a car, shopping or getting on public transport was absolutely terrifying. I was very limited with what I could do and basically crippled my lifestyle for over 10 years. This very quickly stopped me from going out at all. I had one stint of 8 years of not leaving the house at all, my neighbors didn’t know I was there. They thought my partner lived alone, sadly my home became my safe place.
People who suffer from Agoraphobia have a safe place, everyone’s safe place is different. If you have your attacks in your car on a main road you may choose to only drive on quiet streets and limit where you drive. Or you may find like me, standing in long lines to pay a bill or at supermarkets waiting to pay for your groceries causes a Panic Attack. You may then get someone else to pay your bills or shop at a smaller shop with less customers. That becomes your Safe Zone, you end up being very limited in your daily life or do as I did, practically made myself a recluse locked between 4 walls.
Anyone who suffers from Agoraphobia knows only too well the intense fear that overtakes you, your mind turns to mush and your body just won’t co-operate.You sweat, your heart races, your legs feel like jelly, and you wish you were in your Safe Place. Then later on when you get to your Safe Place you wonder why this happens to you, which just makes you more anxious. It’s a confining and frightening condition.
Agoraphobia can develop without suffering Anxiety or Panic Disorder, although it is uncommon, but more often is linked to these and other disorders. The cause of Agoraphobia is unknown, but it is to be thought to be caused by genetic, chemical imbalance in the brain, environment and social situations. Agoraphobia can be treated, it’s obviously better to get treatment as soon as you experience Anxiety or Panic Attacks, but even after years of suffering, like me you can learn to control it. Once I learned to take control of my Anxiety and Panic Attacks, my Agoraphobia became a thing of the past.
Claustrophobia – Another Limb on the Anxiety Tree
There are many phobias that stem from an Anxiety Disorder, Claustrophobia is another limb on the Anxiety tree, and is one of the more common phobias. Claustrophobia is a fear of enclosed spaces or confined areas, or even a crowded room where the exits aren’t easily assessable. Being in one of these situations can bring on a Panic Attack, which in turn may lead to the sufferer avoiding similar situations in the future.
If in a room or building, Claustrophobia sufferers may constantly be checking for doorways and exits or standing close to exits even in large rooms, and feeling fear when doors are closed. Smalls spaces like cars, planes and lifts ca also bring anxious feelings. In some cases being in these situations can bring on panic attacks, in extreme cases just seeing a closed door may cause a Panic Attack.
Claustrophobia, can develop from a childhood trauma such as being locked in a small space for long periods of time, or a near drowning experience can cause this phobia. As with all Anxiety disorders the cause of Claustrophobia can be genetic or bio chemical. Whatever the cause many Anxiety Disorder sufferers will develop some type of phobia, in my case I developed more than one.
There are many things you can do to help yourself control your fears and thoughts, you can start with small goals to overcome your phobia. If you try and rush your recovery by reaching for larger goals, you may get overwhelmed and your condition may get worse, on the other hand not acting at all with just intensify your phobia. Self help programs and relaxation techniques can also be very helpful.
Try to keep positive when confronting your fears, tell yourself your are stronger than your thoughts and give yourself the power to overcome them. Becoming involved in a hobby, sport or course that helps you feel more confident, can also help you empower yourself against your phobia.
It’s very hard getting your head around having an Anxiety Disorder and or Phobia, and even more difficult to take that first step to recovery. I found as soon as I learned that my Panic Attacks and Phobias couldn’t hurt me physically, it was much easier to get on with life and control my mind and body once again. The human mind is an amazing and complex piece of machinery, and once you can understand and control your thoughts, your Anxiety Disorders and Phobias will soon be under control too.