Anxiety Disorder in Children - Essay Example

AR Anxiety Disorder in Children 4/15 Anxiety Disorders in Children Anxiety can be defined as a set of psychological and physiological conditions which may arise in any individual because of disturbances in his normal brain functions. Anxiety Disorders have been largely noticed in adults as around 25% of the adults are considered to be suffering from this disorder. However one area of research still has loopholes because of which further research is required on it. This area of research is the relation of anxiety disorders with children and the implications of its development in children. This essay would further discuss the implications for the development of anxiety in children (Shaffer et al 1995; Verhulst et al 1997). Anxiety gives a sense of worry, panic, fear and distress to an individual if faced by it. But on the other hand anxiety is a sense of feeling faced by everyone at one time in his lifetime and so it is very important to distinguish between the normal levels of anxiety and the pathological levels of anxiety (Maddocks et al 1994). This can be distinguished clearly if one analyzes the levels of distress faced by children in their life and the effect of this distress on the normal behaviours of the child. Anxiety disorders can be of many types which need to be diagnosed properly to know as to which type of disorder the child is facing with. Generalized Anxiety Disorder shows the symptoms of worry and uneasiness which occurs for a transient period only. The child usually faces the problems of muscle fatigue, lack of concentration, restlessness and tetchiness. Maternal Anxiety Disorder is caused because of stressful conditions faced by the mother while she is pregnant. These children show increased signs of anxiety at the age of 5 years and 6 months (Martin et al., 1999). This usually happens because of gene transmission from the stressed mother to the developing embryo. Moreover if the mother is stressed she would not be able to take proper care of the child and this would lead to anxiety disorder in the child. Another type of Separation Anxiety Disorder occurs when a child is separated from an individual who is very close to him. This is the most common type of anxiety disorder which is seen in 50% of all anxiety treatments (Bell-Dolan 1995). This can be clearly witnessed in real life situations when a mother is first going to drop his soon to attend kindergarten but he is not willing to go. Phobias may also show a sign of anxiety disorder. It usually occurs in children who are faced with intense fear when they are faced with a certain situation or object. The fear showed in these phobias may depend upon the danger that the child perceives (Ritter et al 1999& Doobay 2008). Post Traumatic Stress Disorder occurs in children who are faced with a dangerous situation in their life previously and that dangerous situation repeats itself again and again in the mind of that child. This usually occurs because the brains of children are not always developed in such a way that they are able to face intense and dangerous situations at such a tender age (Thomas 2008). Panic Disorders occur when children are faced with automated responses of panic and fear and while they are faced with panic they may face the problem of prolonged tachycardia. Genetic problems may also lead to anxiety disorders as it has been studied by Kendal (Kendal 2001). It was reported that anxiety is more common in individuals who are close relatives (Torgersen 1983). Anxiety disorders may be Psychodynamic which means that their internal state of mind would not be stable enough and his impulses and instincts may conflict to cause the distress faced by him. It can also be faced as part of previous experiences which are faced by the child again in his life. This is a part of the learning process of the child and he may not be able to forget those previous events which caused malfunctioning of his brain functions. And at times it may also be felt by children who are mentally disturbed by the environment in their house (NIH 2000). It is even suggested that anxiety disorders in children occur because of the abnormal functioning of the neurotransmitters in the brain. GABA receptors are known to play an important role in the normal functioning of the brain and if they are disturbed the child may face from anxiety disorder. And lastly problems with the normal functioning of the body may also cause anxiety in the child. These can be problems related to gastrointestinal tract, lung diseases, cardiovascular problems or brain disorders. (Kaplan et al 2004). To cure the disorder many drug and psychological therapies have been developed. The psychological treatments involve behavioral therapies which may force the child to think out of the problem that he is facing. These therapies include activities which help to change the mindset of the child and help to change their behavioral patterns. Similarly talk therapies are also recommended which help to vent out the problem faced by the child in his life. These talk therapies help to relieve the child of the tension that he is facing in his life. And another therapy which is related to imagery and training helps to reduce the symptoms of anxiety. It helps the child to get used to the problems he is facing in life and reduces his responses in reply to specific stimuli (Kendall 1992). Similarly pharmacological treatments have also been derived for anxiety disorders in children. The drugs which are used for such a treatment are Benzodiazepines, Barbiturates, B-adrenoceptor antigonists and multiple other groups. (Ritter et al 1999) Anxiety Disorders in Adults have been widely studied and researched upon whereas the area of anxiety disorders in children has been ignored. The important aspect that child may further go on to develop anxiety disorders in their life ahead is forgotten and research has not yet been conducted on this aspect thoroughly. (Ritter et al 1999, NIH 2000 & Kaplan 2004). Bibliography THOMAS, P. (2008). Post traumatic stress disorder. Diseases and disorders series. Farmington Hills, MI, Lucent Books. Top of Form NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH (U.S.). (2000). Child and adolescent bipolar disorder: an update from the National Institute of Mental Health. [Bethesda, Md.?], National Institute of Mental Health. Top of Form DOOBAY, A. F. (2008). School Refusal Behavior Associated with Separation Anxiety Disorder: A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach to Treatment. Psychology in the Schools. 45, 261-272. Top of Form SADOCK, B. J., SADOCK, V. A., & KAPLAN, H. I. (2004).Kaplan & Sadocks comprehensive textbook of psychiatry / editors, Benjamin J. Sadock, Virginia A. Sadock. Philadelphia, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Bottom of Form Top of Form KENDALL, P. C. (1992). Anxiety disorders in youth: cognitive-behavioral interventions. Boston, Mass, Allyn and Bacon. Top of Form RANG, H. P., DALE, M. M., & RITTER, J. M. (1999).Pharmacology. Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone. Bottom of Form Top of Form SCHWAB-STONE, M. E., et al. (1996). Criterion Validity of the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version 2.3 (DISC-2.3). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 35, 878. Top of Form VERHULST FC, VAN DER ENDE J, FERDINAND RF, & KASIUS MC. (1997). The prevalence of DSM-III-R diagnoses in a national sample of Dutch adolescents.Archives of General Psychiatry. 54, 329-36. Top of Form OLLENDICK TH, YULE W, & OLLIER K. (1991). Fears in British children and their relationship to manifest anxiety and depression. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines. 32, 321-31. Read More