Anxiety in children
Anxiety in children is very common — an estimated 10-20% of children have some anxiety disorder. Unlike adults, children often can't identify or name what they're feeling as 'anxiety' — they express it through physical complaints (stomachache, headache), difficult behavior, crying, refusal to go to school, or regressive behaviors.
Anxiety disorders common in children include: separation anxiety, specific phobia, social anxiety, GAD, and school phobia. Untreated childhood anxiety tends to persist and interfere with social, academic, and emotional development.
Treatment should also involve the parents — who sometimes inadvertently reinforce avoidance by shielding the child from anxiety-triggering situations, which keeps the fear alive. CBT for children with a parent-involvement component is the first-line treatment.
💡 Practical example
Lara, age 8, has frequent stomachaches on Monday mornings, cries when dropped off at school, and often asks to stay home. Her parents notice she's completely fine during school breaks — a pattern that points to school-related anxiety, not a physical illness.
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