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Children with anxiety may not exhibit symptoms in quite the same way as adults.
For example, they may display anger orirritabilityin addition to fear and worry.
Still, some kids do have anxiety disorders.
Brendan O’Sullivan / Getty Images
Specific Phobias
In addition to a generalized anxiety disorder, children can have morespecific phobias.
Although uncommon in children, panic attacks and panic disorder become more common in later teen years.
Children with selective mutism actually refuse to talk and may only talk to close family members at home.
Help a Child With Anxiety
Fortunately, anxiety disorders are treatable conditions.
Girls experience anxiety at about twice the rate as boys.
With practice, children with anxiety can learn to stop the cycle.
There are also things that parents can do at home tohelp childrenlearn how to manage their feelings of anxiety.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
Nevertheless, there are some children who will develop anxiety disorders and early intervention is recommended.
Stanford Children’s Health.Separation anxiety.
Gale CK, Millichamp J.Generalised anxiety disorder in children and adolescents.BMJ Clin Evid.
Krebs G, Heyman I.Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents.Arch Dis Child.
2015;100(5):495-499. doi:10.1136/archdischild-2014-306934
Anxiety Disorders Association of America.Anxiety disorders in children.
2020;173(1):48-56. doi:10.7326/M20-0580
