Types of Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety Disorders fall into a category of mental or emotional disorders.
Of 14 officially labelled anxiety disorders, the following seven are experienced by children:
Separation Anxiety Disorder:
- Triggered by factors such as leaving family for the first time, geographic move, change of schools, etc.
- Younger children may not clearly act out, but mood swings, home sickness, or depression are symptoms. Older children may express fears of threats to parents, home or themselves.
Overanxious Disorder of Childhood:
- The childhood form of Adult Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Symptoms include: restlessness, worry about competency or performance at school and sporting events, even non-competitive ones, fears of catastrophe, easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, disturbed sleep, poor punctuality.
- These children are often over conforming, perfectionists, and unsure of themselves. Often want to redo tasks.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):
- Symptoms include: re-experiencing traumatic event through repetitive play (such as crashing toy cars together), nightmares of monsters or of rescuing others or being in danger, symbols of traumatic event (such as anniversary, specific weather, specific spaces) trigger stomach and headaches. Child may consciously try to avoid all stimuli associated with the traumatic event, losing interest in previously engaging activities. They may have detachment from others, worries about the future, and may develop amnesia about the event.
- Children may have the symptoms from personally experiencing a traumatic event, witnessing a traumatic event, or having loved ones that have gone through a traumatic event. (Events such as assault, kidnapping, motor vehicle accidents, serious fire, life-threatening illness diagnosis, natural disasters, unexpectedly witnessing dead or dismembered bodies.)
Acute Stress Disorder:
- Mild form of PTSD.
- Children produce a less sustained response, but similar in other ways to PTSD.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD):
- Characterized by persistent intrusion of unnatural thoughts or distressing images. Most common obsessive thoughts surround: contamination or germs, aggressive impulses such as pushing a person into danger, the need for symmetry, body or physical concerns, sexual interest.
- Often occurs in pupils that suffer combined symptoms of another form of anxiety.
Anxiety Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition:
- Symptoms are the same as “Overanxious.”
- Causes are many, but could include: thyroid gland, hypoglycemia, cardiovascular conditions, respiratory conditions, neurological conditions.
Substance-Induced Anxiety Disorder:
- Symptoms relate to the substance consumed, or absent during a withdrawal symptom. (Nervousness, distraction, and lack of ability to maintain attention are common.)
Specific Phobia:
- Fear of specific objects or situations.
- Common examples: animals, or insects, natural environment (heights, storms, water), blood, injections, medical pain (stitching, operations), situational (vehicles over bridges, through tunnels, flying, riding an elevator, enclosed space)
Social Phobia:
- Children with social phobia may avoid: attending school, group play, classroom speaking, participating in small group activities or discussions, eating, drinking or writing in public, using a public restroom, initiating or maintaining conversations, speaking with authority figures, attending parties, dating.
Sources: “Teaching Students With Emotional Disorders and/or Mental Illness” Alberta Learning, 2000