Anxiety can affect children and adolescents at any time or any place. Anxiety is the anticipation of future danger. Anxiety can be grouped into different disorders, and they are classified by how they are experienced, what triggers it, and the course it tends to follow. Anxiety that is commonly experienced by children and adolescents is separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and selective mutism. Children and adolescents may exhibit physical symptoms with the anxiety such as stomachaches, headaches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, flushing, shortness of breath, or palpitations. Along with the physical symptoms they may also have school attendance difficulties, difficulty maintaining eye contact when approached, soft voice. 

 

Anxiety may at times be present with depression or ADHD. Often the symptoms and presentation of anxiety and depression overlap and make it difficult to diagnose and treat such disorders. Anxiety is often diagnosed using questionnaires, interviewing parents, and direct observation. There are no blood tests or radiological tests that can assist and identify persons with anxiety. Treatment of anxiety is most effective when initiated early in the diagnosis and may lead to remission of symptoms. The mainstays of treatment of anxiety in children and adolescents is a class of medications call Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) and Cogitative Behavioral Therapy (CBT). SSRI medications are listed as antidepressants, but they block Serotonin reuptake, which increases Serotonin circulating in the brain; Serotonin is a chemical in the brain that helps regulate fear and anxiety along with depression. Once we have arrived at a diagnosis along with the parents and child, we can discuss a treatment plan that will benefit the child. After treatment has been initiated at follow up appointments repeat questionnaires can be administered to test for symptom improvement/resolution.