Anxiety in children can arise from various causes. The symptoms may manifest as irritability, headaches, or stomachaches, which sometimes the child cannot explain clearly what the cause is. Treatment may involve medication or cognitive adjustment, such as helping the child recognize their emotions, understand the intensity of these emotions, and practice managing thoughts about controllable issues, which helps reduce anxiety.
Social Anxiety Disorder
This is anxiety related to social interactions, fear of criticism from others, or fear of embarrassing oneself in front of others. This causes the child to withdraw, avoid meeting others, or be afraid to express themselves in front of people. Sometimes parents may perceive the child as lazy or shy and unwilling to express themselves.
Treatment Techniques: Parents should help the child recognize that their thoughts are just anxiety. Guide them to see the pros and cons of anxiety, helping the child understand the benefits of facing what they fear. Teach the child to rank their fears and gradually cope with them from least to most intense. Medication may also be used in conjunction.
Selective Mutism
The child does not speak in certain situations or when with unfamiliar people but can perform activities normally and speak normally when with familiar people, such as family members.
Treatment Techniques: Parents should motivate the child to see the pros and cons of talking to unfamiliar people by building a good relationship with the child. This may start with encouraging the child to use gestures to respond during communication, such as nodding, shaking their head, facial expressions, and praising the child for good responses. If the child has symptoms related to depression or other disorders, medication may be necessary.
Panic Disorder
A sudden physical panic state such as palpitations, sweating, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, which occurs suddenly or quite quickly within 10 minutes, causing significant anxiety and fear in the child.
Treatment Techniques: Parents need to help the child understand that these symptoms are panic attacks, which are not severe or life-threatening. The symptoms can recur without cause, but later episodes may be triggered by factors such as accumulated stress without awareness. These symptoms are uncontrollable and may cause the child to become so anxious that they avoid social situations. Besides understanding the symptoms and causes, medication may also be required.
Dr. Chonnipa Kaewpoolsri
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Specialist
Child and Adolescent Health Center, Phyathai 2 Hospital
