Most fears are a normal, natural part of childhood. However, if a child is afraid all the time, or has fears that stop them from having fun or interfere with their daily life, this could be a sign of anxiety and it may be time to get some professional help.
Help your child to deal with fear by taking their feelings seriously, encouraging them to talk about their anxieties, telling them the facts and giving them the opportunity to confront their fears at their own pace and with your support.
Worry like this could be a sign of an anxiety disorder. If your child has worry, stress, or anxiety that seems too hard for them to handle, talk with your child's doctor or a mental health doctor. Childhood anxiety can get better with the right treatment and support.
It's normal for children to feel afraid or worried at times. These feelings can help kids be cautious. Things that are new, big, loud, or different can seem scary at first. Parents can help kids feel safe and learn to feel at ease.
It's normal for children to feel worried or anxious from time to time – such as when they're starting school or nursery, or moving to a new area. But for some children, anxiety affects their behaviour and thoughts every day, interfering with their school, home and social life.
If a child expresses feeling nervous or unsure of their ability to perform certain tasks because of their ADHD, those nervous feelings are likely part of their ADHD. If, instead, they have a pervasive feeling of fear that isn't linked to a specific experience, it is more likely a sign of anxiety.
Anxiety may present as fear or worry, but can also make children irritable and angry. Anxiety symptoms can also include trouble sleeping, as well as physical symptoms like fatigue, headaches, or stomachaches. Some anxious children keep their worries to themselves and, thus, the symptoms can be missed.
Kids usually outgrow most of their childhood fears. However, in some situations, their fears can become debilitating unless they receive help from a professional.
What does OCD look like? OCD looks like overwhelming fears or thoughts and repeated actions or rituals that relieve anxiety. For instance, a child might worry constantly that things around them are dirty and will make them sick, so they wash their hands repeatedly as a way of dealing with that anxiety.
Children can develop the same mental health conditions as adults, but their symptoms may be different. Know what to watch for and how you can help. Mental illness in children can be hard for parents to identify. As a result, many children who could benefit from treatment don't get the help they need.
It can make them behave badly or get physically sick. Children react to angry, stressed parents by not being able to concentrate, finding it hard to play with other children, becoming quiet and fearful or rude and aggressive, or developing sleeping problems.
If you feel your child's fears and worries are out of the ordinary or if bouts of anxiety are consistently disrupting your teen's daily life, discuss your concerns with your pediatrician. If the pediatrician agrees that intervention may help, he or she can refer you to an experienced child therapist or psychologist.
If your child is afraid of the dark, they're not alone. “It's very common in children and adolescents alike,” says Thomas Ollendick, a distinguished professor emeritus at the Child Study Center at Virginia Tech who has dedicated much of his career to understanding fears and phobias in children.
Anxiety and depression affect many children1
9.4% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 5.8 million) had diagnosed anxiety in 2016-2019. 4.4% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 2.7 million) have diagnosed depression in 2016-2019.
By 2 to 5 years
Children also develop and express typical fears during the preschool period—of the dark, of strangers, of monsters, of going to the doctor, of dogs or other animals, and more.
Toxic stress response can occur when a child experiences strong, frequent, and/or prolonged adversity—such as physical or emotional abuse, chronic neglect, caregiver substance abuse or mental illness, exposure to violence, and/or the accumulated burdens of family economic hardship—without adequate adult support.
People under stress experience mental and physical symptoms, such as irritability, anger, fatigue, muscle pain, digestive troubles, and difficulty sleeping. Anxiety, on the other hand, is defined by persistent, excessive worries that don't go away even in the absence of a stressor.
Children with generalized anxiety disorder are 3.5 times more likely to have a mother with generalized anxiety disorder. Children with social anxiety disorder are almost 3 times more likely to have a father with anxiety disorder.
Things that happen in a child's life can be stressful and difficult to cope with. Loss, serious illness, death of a loved one, violence, or abuse can lead some kids to become anxious. Learned behaviors. Growing up in a family where others are fearful or anxious also can "teach" a child to be afraid too.