Generalized Anxiety Disorder In Children
September 27, 2008 by Alex Taylor
Generalized anxiety disorder in children is often misunderstood or misdiagnosed in favour of other more common mental disorders such as ADHD and bipolar disorder, even though generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) affects as many as 3% of all children.
With such a large proportion of children being affected by GAD, it’s vital that it is better understood.
GAD Symptoms In Children:
As with adults who have GAD, children will experience many of the common anxiety-related symptoms - palpitations, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, sweating, insomnia, muscle twitches, and headaches, to name just a few.
Children with GAD will also often experience excessive and uncontrollable worry about things such as school, their family, their family’s collective health, their own health, their involvement with sports and other physical activities, and sometimes the news they see on TV and other world events.
Treatment of GAD In Children:
Children with GAD have the same treatment options available to them as adults. These treatment options fall into two main categories - anxiety drugs and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
The use of medication for any form of anxiety disorder in children is often not considered, understandably, due to a wish to overcome the problem naturally. For this reason, CBT if often the choice for many doctors who are faced with a young patient with anxiety-related problems. In severe cases, however, medication may be given in the short-term.
Since natural therapies are considered the best option for children with generalized anxiety disorder, many parents are choosing to go through my free online video course “Beat Panic Today” in an effort to help their child through their problem. In fact, many children have stumbled onto this site on their own and have made good progress after going through the course.
Once you’ve signed up for the free video course you’ll also receive my weekly newsletter offering tips and advice on ways to overcome all forms of anxiety through brand new videos, podcasts, and e-books.
Learn More About GAD In Children:
For more excellent information on GAD in children, take a look at this Children’s Hospital Page On Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
