Anxiety is often referred to as an internalizing disorder because it mainly includes a person’s thoughts and feelings. Some degree of fears and worries are typical in children, but anxiety becomes concerning if and when it begins to get in the way of a child’s daily life. For instance, a child not being able to separate from a caregiver to engage in a game with peers, or being afraid of going to school. Below are a few examples of various types of anxiety.
Generalized Anxiety
Generalized anxiety can present as a fear or worry about the future or general bad things happening.
Specific Phobia
A specific phobia is characterized by a strong fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation (e.g,. heights, animals). It is common for preschool aged children to develop specific fears or phobias (e.g., fear of the dark) that will gradually go away on its own.
Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety is when children have a difficult time separating from their caregivers, often causing crying or meltdowns. Separation anxiety is common in children aged 6 months old and should stop around age 2.
Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is a strong fear of social situations or a worry of being judged by others.
As noted, anxiety typically takes the form of a worry or fear though it can also cause children to become irritable. Other symptoms of anxiety can also include: anger, sleep difficulty, and physical symptoms (e.g., head or stomach aches and pains). See below for other signs of anxiety to look out for.