Understanding Anxiety Disorders in Kids: A Guide for Parents
Anxiety disorders can look different depending on a child’s age, personality, and specific challenges. This blog post helps you recognize the signs of anxiety in children and teens and to understand how different types of anxiety might show up in everyday life.
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a natural response to stress or danger, but for some kids, it becomes overwhelming and interferes with their daily lives. Anxiety disorders go beyond occasional worry and can affect how a child thinks, feels, and behaves.
Common Types of Anxiety Disorders in Children
Separation Anxiety Disorder
Children with separation anxiety struggle with being apart from their caregivers. While some clinginess is normal in younger kids, separation anxiety becomes a problem when it significantly impacts a child’s daily activities.
What It Might Look Like:
Refusing to go to school or sleepovers
Complaining of stomachaches or headaches before separations
Excessive worry about harm coming to a parent or caregiver
Repeatedly calling or texting parents during activities
Example:
Emma, age 7, refuses to go to her friend’s birthday party without her mom and cries until they leave.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety is a fear of being judged or embarrassed in social situations. Kids with this disorder might avoid activities where they have to interact with others.
What It Might Look Like:
Avoiding group activities or speaking in class
Complaints of feeling sick before social events
Extreme shyness or refusal to meet new people
Overanalyzing past social interactions
Example:
Liam, age 13, begs his mom to skip school on the day of his class presentation because he’s terrified of speaking in front of his peers.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Kids with GAD worry excessively about a wide range of topics, from school performance to world events. These worries are often disproportionate to the situation.
What It Might Look Like:
Asking repeated “what if” questions (e.g., “What if I fail the test?”)
Difficulty concentrating due to constant worry
Trouble sleeping or frequent nightmares
Physical symptoms like headaches or stomachaches
Example:
Sophie, age 10, spends hours worrying about whether she’ll get every question right on her math test and can’t sleep the night before. She continues to worry about what grade she earned even days after the test.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD involves repetitive, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions) performed to reduce anxiety.
What It Might Look Like:
Repeated handwashing due to fear of germs
Checking doors or windows multiple times before leaving
Needing things to be “just right” (e.g., symmetrical or in a specific order)
Difficulty transitioning between activities due to rituals
Example:
Noah, age 11, spends 30 minutes checking that his backpack is zipped perfectly before leaving for school.
Specific Phobias
Specific phobias involve intense fear of a particular object or situation, such as dogs, heights, or storms.
What It Might Look Like:
Avoiding certain places or activities
Crying, freezing, or having a tantrum when faced with the feared object
Intense physical reactions like sweating, shaking, or a racing heart
Example:
Ava, age 9, refuses to go to the park because she’s terrified of dogs, even when they’re leashed.
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder involves sudden, intense episodes of fear or discomfort (panic attacks). While panic attacks are often unexpected, they can also be triggered by specific situations. Episodes of fear are often triggered by the actual fear of having a panic attack.
What It Might Look Like:
Complaining of shortness of breath, chest pain, or dizziness
Fear of losing control or “going crazy”
Avoiding activities where a panic attack might happen
Example:
Ethan, age 15, avoids the mall after having a panic attack there once, fearing it will happen again.
When to Seek Help
If your child’s anxiety is interfering with their daily life, relationships, or ability to enjoy activities, it’s time to seek professional support. Early intervention can make a huge difference.
Signs It’s Time to Reach Out:
Avoidance of school, social activities, or other obligations
Frequent physical complaints with no medical cause
Intense emotional outbursts or meltdowns
Difficulty sleeping or eating due to worry
How We Can Help
At Tampa Pediatric Psychology, we specialize in evidence-based approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions). Together, we’ll create a plan to help your child face their fears and build confidence—and empower you with tools to support them.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your family.