Early age anxiety: Types, causes, symptoms and cure

Anxiety has a lot of associated symptoms, some of which we sometimes find difficult to talk about. Everyone experiences it through stirrings of worry, fearfulness and alarm that danger or a sudden, threatening change is near. Here are the types, causes, symptoms and cure of early age anxiety

Anxiety shows up for each of us differently and it’s important to know anxiety can show up physically too as it is an emotion, an external threat over which you have no control but an internal state where you can learn to manage and learn from. You can learn to rely on your anxiety as your loyal partner to become the best leader you can be but anxiety has a lot of associated symptoms, some of which we sometimes find difficult to talk about.

Early age anxiety: Types, causes, symptoms and cure (David Garrison)

Everyone experiences anxiety that signals through stirrings of worry, fearfulness and alarm that danger or a sudden, threatening change is near yet sometimes, anxiety becomes an exaggerated, unhealthy response. Many children have fears and worries and may feel sad and hopeless from time to time where strong fears may appear at different times during development.

Although fears and worries are typical in children, persistent or extreme forms of fear and sadness could be due to anxiety or depression and since the symptoms primarily involve thoughts and feelings, they are sometimes called internalizing disorders. Early Age Anxiety can be caused due to various reasons and it is becoming more prevalent in preschoolers post-Covid since this age group was the most isolated, with less than zero exposure to the outside world.

These kids had no social interaction with their peers and unfortunately, they were confined indoors hence, children belonging to this age group many resorted to their mobile devices for leisure which in turn increased their screen time impacting their overall developmental skills. Attending preschool or going out regularly introduces the child to the concept of social interaction, making them more interactive with the world around them.

Let us explore some telling signs to watch out for when a child, teenager or others get anxious and see how best can we handle it at home.

Types:

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Suprakash Chaudhary, Professor and HOD, Dept. of Psychiatry at Dr DY Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre in Pune's Pimpri, shared that anxiety can result from genetic causes and as a result of life stresses. He insisted that if the problem is severe or persistent it is best to get a clear diagnosis from a child psychiatrist or psychiatrist. According to him, Anxiety Disorders include:

• Separation Anxiety - High levels of anxiety after separation from a person or place that provides feelings of security or safety characterize separation anxiety disorder.
• Social Anxiety - This is a fear of negative judgment from others in social situations or of public embarrassment.
• Selective Mutism - This is a form of anxiety that some children experience, in which they are not able to speak in certain places or contexts, such as school, even though they may have excellent verbal communication skills around familiar people.
• Phobia - This is an irrational fear and avoidance of a particular object or situation. Phobias are not like other anxiety disorders, as they relate to a specific cause.
• Panic Disorder - They may suffer repeatedly from sudden episodes of intense anxiety, accompanied by bodily symptoms like palpitations, sweating, shaking , dizzy and have difficulty in breathing.

Causes:

Dr Sameer Malhotra, Director and Head, Department of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences at Max Multi Speciality Centre in Delhi's Panchsheel Park, said, “Various factors contribute to anxiety like genetic predisposition, stressful family environment, alcohol dependence and impulse dyscontrol in the family, heightened expression of emotions in the family, parental discord, emotional trauma, disintegrating support networks, high expectations, at times over-provisions, excessive mobile use, disturbed sleep-wake schedule, unhealthy lifestyle with excessive fast food, lack of regular physical exercise/physical sport, excessive reliance on technology and impatience.”

Symptoms:

Dr Suprakash Chaudhary listed the early age anxiety symptoms as:

1. Feeling nervous, edgy and unable to sit still.

2. Repeatedly going to the loo.

3. Unable to concentrate

4. Difficulty in falling asleep.

5. Frequent nightmares

6. Eating poorly

7. Short tempered and having anger outbursts.

8. On the verge of tears often

9. Frequently complaining of abdominal colic and upset stomach

Aruna Agarwal, Child Psychologist, Behaviour Analyst, Access Conscious practitioner and owner of Kidzee – Mount Litera Zee School (Powai), revealed early age anxiety signs to be:

• Children crying out loud - Children crying out loud in social or public gatherings or withdraw from peers and social groups.
• Speech delay – Anxious behavior in a kid like crying, hitting, not being friendly, etc. And this can’t be explained verbally as the child is dealing with a speech delay.
• Asking for parent’s attention – If a parent is talking to someone on call, doing unruly things, or constantly asking the parent for something trivial. These are all signs to watch out for.

Adding to the list, Dr Sameer Malhotra mentioned cold sweaty palms, at times breathlessness, feeling of chest discomfort, feeling of butterflies in the stomach, avoidance behaviours, restlessness, fidgety, mostly being in a hurry, speaking quite fast and at times stammering, fear of heights/flights/closed chambers/ darkness, significant exam anxiety, sleeplessness, feeling fatigued and helpless or at times irritable.

Bringing his expertise to the same, Dr Tarun Sehgal, Director and Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at Solh Wellness, said, “For some teenagers, anxiety becomes a chronic, high pitched state, interfering with their ability to attend school and perform up to their academic potential. Participating in extracurricular activities, making and keeping friends, and maintaining a supportive, flexible relationship within the family become difficult. Sometimes anxiety is limited to generalised, free-floating feelings of uneasiness. At other times, it develops into panic attacks and phobias. For example, it's common for youth to experience anxiety before tests or on the first day of school. Your kid approaches you and says they're worried. You don't understand the difference in intensity because you experience anxiety occasionally. Your hope is that this is the result of a routine adjustment, like starting a new school. You assume that everything will resolve itself. Due to the fact that anxiety can occasionally present as a physical symptom like a stomach ache, it is frequently misdiagnosed. Teens who experience frequent stomach aches may not want to attend school. This might be a sign that there's more to it.”

Identifying some signs of anxiety, he listed-

1. Finding it hard to concentrate or focus

2. Not sleeping, or waking in the night with bad dream

3. Not eating properly

4. Quickly getting angry or irritable, and being out of control during outbursts.

5. Constantly worrying or having negative thoughts

6. Feeling fidgety, or using the toilet often

7. Always crying

8. Being clingy

9. Complaining of tummy aches and feeling unwell

10. Social anxiety

Dr Tarun Sehgal stresses that anxiety disorders vary from teenager to teenager. He pointed out, “Even in the absence of an actual threat, some teenagers describe feelings of continual nervousness, restlessness, or extreme stress. In a social setting, anxious teenagers may appear dependent, withdrawn, or uneasy. They seem either overly restrained or overly emotional. They may be preoccupied with worries about losing control or unrealistic concerns about social competence. Anxiety during adolescence typically centres on changes in the way the adolescent's body looks and feels, social acceptance, and conflicts about independence. When flooded with anxiety, adolescents may appear extremely shy. They may avoid their usual activities or refuse to engage in new experiences. They may protest whenever they are apart from friends. Or in an attempt to diminish or deny their fears and worries, they may engage in risky behaviours, drug experimentation, or impulsive sexual behaviour.”

Treatment and cure:

Dr Suprakash Chaudhary shared, “Treatments will consist of a combination of psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, and medication. Alcohol dependence, depression or other conditions can sometimes have such a strong effect on mental well-being that treating an anxiety disorder must wait until any underlying conditions are brought under control. Talk to child more frequently about their problems or fears without ridiculing or making light of them. Enquire about problems at school, fear of teachers or other staff or bullying by other students.”

Child Psychologist Aruna Agarwal asserted that while some cases can be handled at home with the simple solutions, do consult a pediatrician or a child psychologist for help if the child gets more anxious with each passing day. She recommended the following cure:

• Start small - Don’t overwhelm the client. Start small, introduce the child to small groups like playgroups or society, or maybe just a kid from the neighborhood.
• Talk more - Encourage the child to use words and language to express things. Celebrate small wins.
• Socialise often – Take the kid to a close relative or friend’s house and sensitize the host beforehand regarding the kid.
• Consult the specialist/developmental pediatrician/child psychologist for help.

Talking about how anxiety be managed clinically, Dr Sameer Malhotra, advised -

A) Through correction of lifestyle: Balanced healthy meals, encouragement to practice healthy sleep wake schedule, regular physical sport and yoga, channelising energy in constructive hobbies, healthy balanced parenting with ability in the child to hear a ‘No’ at times, rational expectations and avoidance of unhealthy comparisons and competitions, encouraging healthy communication and expression, regulated mobile and Internet use. Encouraging a sportsman spirit.

B) Correction of underlying thyroid concerns if any

C) Counselling and behaviour therapy; family counselling

D) Medication as per standard guidelines

Revealing how to respond to anxiety, Dr Tarun Sehgal said, “Healthy lifestyle choices can often help pre-teens and teenagers handle anxiety. For example, going for a walk instead of sitting at home worrying can help to clear their mind.” Here are some healthy choices that he suggested to help you with everyday anxiety:

1. Get plenty of physical activity, pre-teen sleep or teenage sleep, and healthy food and drink.

2. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and other drugs.

3. Avoid unnecessary stress by not putting things off or being late.

4. Do breathing exercises, muscle relaxation exercises or mindfulness exercises.

5. If you’re concerned about anxiety, it’s a good idea to seek professional help. You might consider seeing mental health professional if you:

6. Constantly feels nervous, anxious or on edge, or can’t stop or control worrying

7. Have anxious feelings that go on for weeks, months or even longer

8. Have anxious feelings that interfere with schoolwork, socialising and everyday activities.

Although it's impossible to know with certainty what will lead someone to develop an anxiety disorder, there are steps you can take to lessen the severity of symptoms if someone experiences anxiety. Along with various forms of self-help, medication, counselling and therapy and an active lifestyle can help keep anxious emotions in check. Following are the treatment options recommended by Dr Tarun Sehgal:

1. Relaxation techniques - Relaxation techniques can help reduce anxiety and negative thoughts and help manage stress. Common relaxation techniques include deep abdominal breathing, meditation, listening to calming music, and activities like Yoga and tai chi.

2. Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy - In many cases, cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy techniques are effective in addressing adolescent anxiety disorders. Such approaches help the teenager examine anxiety, anticipate situations in which it is likely to occur, and understand its effects. This can help a youngster recognize the exaggerated nature of fears and develop a corrective approach to the problem. Moreover, cognitive-behavioural therapy tends to be specific to the anxiety problem, and the teen actively participates, which usually enhances the youngster's understanding.

3. Other Therapies - In some instances, long-term psychotherapy, and family therapy may also be recommended like ACT. If you’re struggling with anxiety, it’s important to remember that with the proper treatment, there can be a bright future ahead. Anxiety doesn’t have to rule your life. The earlier a problem is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.

KNOW THAT ANXIETY IS TREATABLE!