If you’re wondering whether or not your child struggles with anxiety, here are some tips for identifying symptoms. It’s important to address these mental health struggles if they persist so that your child can develop healthy coping mechanisms and get any professional support that they might need.
Notice Physical Symptoms
Physical symptoms that could manifest in a child struggling with anxiety can include cramps, headaches, muscle pains, stomach aches and tiredness. While of course there could be other reasons why these physical symptoms are showing, anxiety is worth considering, particularly if they display other symptoms too.
Watch for Social Symptoms
Youth who experience anxiety might behave a bit differently than their peers in social situations. Noticing these reactions could help you recognize the possibility of this mental health condition. For example, your child might appear more withdrawn, dependent or uneasy in group situations. They might also appear to be excessively restrained or emotional.
Pay Attention to General Anxiety
Your child’s anxiety doesn’t have to be rooted in something particular. Instead, if they are constantly worried and stressed—most often about things that are irrational or very much out of their control—then this could be a warning sign of a generalized anxiety disorder.
Look Out for Phobias
It’s fairly normal for children to fixate on something that they are afraid of, or, to have a phobia. However, if this fear becomes excessive, debilitating or isn’t grown out of, then this could identify an anxiety disorder in your child.
Understand Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety is one of the most common anxiety disorders amongst children. This generally stems from a deep-rooted, inexplicable fear that something bad is going to happen to a family member when they leave. As a result, the child can cry, become stressed or even feel physically ill when they are separated from a family member.
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