Common Disorders of Childhood

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Common Disorders of Childhood Adolescence

• Anxiety

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Definitions

• Fear an emotion that functions to alarm or
  prepare the person to make a flight-or-fight
  response.
• Anxiety an emotion or mood state characterized
  by negative affect, feelings of apprehension, and
  worry

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Sources of fears and worries
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Social Phobia

• Irrational fear in the presence of social or
  performance situations fears that he or she may
  do something that will be humiliating or
  embarrassing.
• Adolescents may recognize as being irrational,
  children probably wont

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Specific Phobia

• Common phobias for children
• Animals
• Storms
• Darkness
• Needles
• Focus may be anticipated harm
• May also involve concerns about panicking or
  losing control when exposed to object

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School refusal

• Rarely misses schools but under distress always
  missing school
• Appears to come from separation problems or
  excessive fear about some aspect of the school

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

• Constant thought about a subject or performing
  certain behaviors over and over again.
• These worries cause marked distress

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General Characteristics

• Children self-report symptoms more frequently
  than parents report them about children
• Prevalence of anxiety disorders increases with
  age
• More girls than boys tend to develop anxiety
  disorders

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Signs and Symptoms

• What is the difference between an age appropriate
  fear and an irrational fear?
• What are some symptoms that children/adolescents
  may exhibit who have anxiety problems?
• How would you differentiate between the different
  types of anxiety disorders?

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Long-term goals

• Reduce frequency and intensity of anxiety
  response so as to not impair daily functioning
• Resolve issue that is the source of anxiety of
  fear

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Short-term goals

• Identify specific fears, worries, etc.
• Express feelings appropriately
• Implement appropriate relaxation and diversion
  activities
• Parents verbalize and understanding of childs
  fears and anxieties
• Problem-solving