Anxiety disorders can be extremely distressing for anyone who experiences them, and this is particularly true when anxiety strikes children and adolescents. Children and adolescents with anxiety disorders will commonly experience any number of specific symptoms, but they often have difficulty explaining the way they feel to their parents, teachers and other caregivers.  Irrational fear and worry is the chief intrinsic symptom, but without any explainable basis for this fear, children may be reluctant to voice their discomfort.  Fortunately, there are outward signs that adult caregivers can look for which may indicate the onset of a panic and anxiety disorder and signal the need for treatment.  Among these symptoms are:

Studies show that 1 out of every 10 children and teens will experience some form of problem anxiety.  These disorders, however, are not all the same.  Among the several different types of anxiety disorders are:

Relieving anxiety disorder in children can be a long and arduous task, but there is help available.  Besides prescription medication which can significantly help reduce the severity of symptoms, all of the following treatment steps can also be looked into:

If left untreated, children with panic and anxiety disorder will often have a difficult time expressing themselves and may even feel guilty for the trouble they are causing.  They feel “different” and will often shy away from interactions with their peers and adults alike.  What they need most of all is someone who will listen to them without judgment and assure them that everything will soon be okay.

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