Anxiety

There are multiple types of anxiety disorders. Children may only experience one of these types of anxiety disorder. However, it is common that if a child is diagnosed with one anxiety disorder,  they will be diagnosed with an additional anxiety disorder as well. 

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Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD)

This is one of the most common anxiety disorders experienced by children. Children experiencing SAD will display age-inappropriate and disabling distress when separated from parents or other people they are attached to. Because of this, these children will often refuse to go to school as it requires them to be apart from a parent.

 

Specific Phobias

Children with specific phobia will display extreme fear of a particular objects that are neither dangerous nor harmful. Often times these phobias are of certain animals, which most scientists believe is a result of biological predispositions. 

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Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety involves a fear of being the centre of attention or of doing something embarrassing in public. The fear of performing in front of others as well as the fear of interacting with others may occur simultaneously or separately. 

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Selective Mutism

If a child experiences selective mutism, they will not speak in specific social situations, while they will speak in other settings. This is the least common anxiety disorder experienced by children. Often times Selective Mutism will occur simultaneously with Social Anxiety Disorder.

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Panic Disorder & Agoraphobia

Those who suffer from panic attacks will experience sudden burst of intense fear accompanied with physical symptoms. Panic attacks occur unexpectedly, and leave individuals fearfully anticipating the next one. Agoraphobia, the fear of certain situation often having to do with being unable to escape or find help if needed, often accompanies these panic attacks. 

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Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Youth who experience Generalized Anxiety Disorder experience chronic worry. Unlike the above mentioned Anxiety Disorders which are linked to specific scenarios or objects, Generalized Anxiety are often in an elevated state of worry about many different things daily. These individuals often cannot cope with uncertainty. 

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

While OCD is not a subtype of Anxiety Disorder, it is quite similar and has many overlapping symptoms. When a child experiences OCD, they experience intrusive and repetitive obsessions, which induce anxiety. These obsessions result in ritualized behaviours, compulsions, to cope with the stress produced by the obsession. 

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-Traumatic Stress may occur after a child has experienced a traumatic event. The child will then re-experience this trauma  through recurring thoughts, or dreams. Sometimes, Survival Guilt may be experienced in conjunction with PTSD. 

 

Acute Stress Disorder

Similarly to PTSD, Acute Stress Disorder takes place after a child has experienced a traumatic experience. The difference though, is that Acute Stress Disorder takes place soon after the trauma, while PTSD is experienced after four weeks have passed since the event. 

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