Anxiety in Children
There are lots of obvious signs of anxiety that present in both adults and children (e.g. restlessness, feeling sick, panic attacks or breaking with daily routines).
Other signs of anxiety though might not be as noticeable to adults because they are more likely to only occur in children.
Children may not always show their anxiety in the same ways as adults. Other signs that a child is anxious are –
- Being clingy differently to other children (for example, many children are clingy before the age of three, but if they are older than three and still clingy, it can be a sign of anxiety; or if they are more clingy than their siblings were/are etc.).
- Not sleeping properly.
- Bad dreams.
- Finding it hard to concentrate at school.
- Angry outbursts.
- Irritability.
- Being out of control.
- Tense and fidgety.
- Frequent toilet visits.
- Wetting the bed.
- Constant worrying.
- Negative thoughts.
- Crying frequently.
- Frequent stomach aches.
- Frequently saying they feel ill.
- Teenagers with anxiety may also show other symptoms, such as drug use, alcohol use, clinical depression or risky behaviours.
- Older children may have problems with eating.
- They may have negative thoughts that go round and round in their head.
- Expressing thoughts of suicide (although this is not solely demonstrated by teenagers, younger children may also express suicidal thoughts. Any comments about suicide should be taken very seriously and help sought immediately).
The child may not recognise why they feel this way, so it is important for adults to observe children if they appear anxious. If a child is experiencing anxiety to such an extent that it affects their daily life, they may require professional help from a counsellor.
A child may need help when –
- It is affecting their daily lives
- It happens frequently
- They appear to be getting worse
- Their anxiety seems to be slowing their development. For example, they are falling behind at school due to missing school.
- It is affecting their relationships with friends and other people.
