anxiety disorders

 Your child is going through critical stages of development where social and physical aspects of their world are constantly changing. These may impact their mental health causing them to feel overwhelmed with fitting in, managing a busy school schedule, and coping with stressful situations. Have you noticed your child experiencing any of the following behaviors listed below within the past 6 months? If so, we are here to help your child and your family understand why they may exhibit these behaviors. If you notice any of these behaviors in your child it is important for your child to receive a medical diagnosis. Getting a diagnosis is the first step to ensuring your child gets the help and services they need to be successful and reach their full potential in all their meaningful activities.

 

general Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

This is when your child regularly has a worry on their mind making it hard for them to focus on everyday activities. These feelings may result in a persistent feeling of dread/nervousness that may impact your child’s engagement in school, home, and play. Symptoms must last longer than 6 months to get a diagnosis of GAD. Below are some of the red flags for if your child has GAD and may warrant a mental health evaluation.

Physical Symptoms of GAD

  • Trembling

  • Twitching

  • Tense muscles

  • Headaches

  • Sweating

  • Hot flashes

  • Heart palpitations

  • Lightheadedness

  • Trouble breathing

  • Nausea

  • Urinating often

  • Lump in the throat

  • Fatigue

  • Having headaches, muscle aches, stomachaches, or unexplained pains

Behavioral Symptoms of GAD

  • Irritability

  • Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep

  • Poor concentration

  • Being easily startled

  • Unable to relax

Mental SYMPTOMS OF GAD

  • Feeling panic, fear, and uneasiness.

  • Nightmares

  • Repeated thoughts or flashbacks of traumatic experiences.

  • Uncontrollable, obsessive thoughts

 

sOCIAL ANXIETY

Have you noticed that your child is afraid of what others will think or say about them in social situations? Social situations in school, at home, or in public may cause extreme fear, self-consciousness, and or embarrassment. As a result, your child may avoid certain social interactions to avoid these feelings of stress or anxiety which may impact their relationships with others and ability to engage in meaningful activities. Below are some of the red flags for if your child is experiencing social anxiety and may warrant a mental health evaluation.

Physical Symptoms of Social Anxiety

  • Blush, sweat, or tremble

  • Have a rapid heart rate

  • Have a rigid body posture, or speak with an overly soft voice

Behavioral symptoms of Social Anxiety

  • Find it difficult to make eye contact, be around people they don’t know, or talk to people in social situations, even when they want to

  • Feel self-consciousness or fear that people will judge them negatively

  • Avoid places where there are other people

  • Fear of situations in which they may be judged negatively

  • Intense fear of interacting or talking with strangers

  • Fear of physical symptoms that may cause embarrassment, such as blushing, sweating, trembling, or having a shaky voice

  • Avoidance of doing things or speaking to people out of fear of embarrassment

  • Avoidance of situations where they might be the center of attention

  • Extreme anxiety in anticipation of a feared activity or event

  • Analyze their performance and identification of flaws in their interactions after a social situation

  • Expect the worst possible consequences based on a previous negative experience during a social situation

  • Avoid everyday situations (school, work, social gatherings)

 

Selective Mutism

Have you noticed that your child refuses to talk at school, with friends, or in other places where they experience socializing? fear. You know that your child has the skills to produce speech, but notice in certain situations they do not speak. This is known as selective mutism, an extreme form of social phobia that causes kids to be so afraid they can not talk due to an overwhelming feeling of panic or anxiety when they expect to speak. Below are some of the red flags if your child experiences selective mutism and may warrant a mental health evaluation.

Characteristics of Selective Mutism

  • They will not speak during school at times when they should

  • This behavior lasts for at least 1 month excluding the first month of school because children may be initially shy

  • Your child is able to speak the language but chooses not to in certain situations

  • Your child does not have a speech or language problem that might be causing them to avoid talking

  • Your child may cling to you or be withdrawn from social situations

  • They may speak to family members but be fearful of engaging with new people

  • Freezing episode when they are expected to talk to new people

    • They may appear “tense” or “still” during this freezing period