Anxiety disorders

What is the Disorder?

Anxiety is a normal emotion. It’s your brain’s way of reacting to stress and alerting you of potential danger ahead. Anxiety Disorders, however, are a group of mental health concerns that cause constant and overwhelming anxiety and fear.

Anxiety Disorders affect children and adults alike. They, however, look different on different children.

Red Flags to watch out for

• Excessive distress out of proportion to the situation like crying, sadness, frustration, embarrassment
• Easily distressed, agitated or angry when in a stressful situation
• Headaches, stomach aches, regularly too sick to go to school
• Disruptions in sleeping patterns:  difficulty falling asleep, frequent nightmares, difficulty sleeping alone
• Excessive avoidance of social situations: going to school, friend’s houses, family gatherings
• Excessive time spent consoling the child about distress with ordinary situations and normal activities