What are the signs and symptoms of anxiety?

Children and adolescents with anxiety generally voice a specific worry or fear, which they may not realize is excessive or unreasonable. They can also present with a physical complaint, such as stomachache or headache. Clinicians diagnose specific anxiety disorders by examining the context in which a child’s anxiety symptoms occur:

• Children with Generalized Anxiety Disorder experience chronic, excessive anxiety about multiple areas of their lives (e.g., family, school, social situations, health, natural disasters)
• Children with Separation Anxiety experience excessive fear of being separated from their home or caretakers
• Children with Specific Phobia fear a specific object or situation (e.g., spiders, needles, riding in elevators)
• Children with Social Phobia experience anxiety in social settings or performance situations
• Children with Panic Disorder experience unexpected, brief episodes of intense anxiety without an apparent trigger, characterized by multiple physical symptoms (e.g., shortness of breath, increased heart rate, sweating)
• Children with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder perform repetitive mental acts or behaviors (“compulsions”) to alleviate anxiety caused by disturbing thoughts, impulses, or images (“obsessions”)
• Children with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder experience anxiety symptoms (e.g. nightmares, feelings of detachment from others, increased startle ) following exposure to a traumatic event.

What are the signs and symptoms of anxiety?

Generalized Anxiety Disorder; Separation Anxiety; Specific Phobia; Panic Disorder; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Resource_Centers/Anxiety_Disorder_Resource_Center/FAQ.aspx#anxietyfaq2

Treatments Available: Fennell Powell Counseling