Anxiety disorders in children on the rise

Children join a physical activity in Đà Nẵng City. — VNA/VNS Văn Dũng

HÀ NỘI — A 13-year-old male patient was taken to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Ward under the Institute of Mental Health by his family because he showed signs of mental disorder.

His mother said that he was an introvert and he was often worried about many things in his life and study.

He was constantly worried that his poor school results would affect his class’ overall achievements.

When going out, he is always afraid of having an accident. In addition, he often went to the door to check if it was closed, or had to lift an object up and down many times before holding it.

At first, the family thought the boy was simply being careful, but when the symptoms repeated over a long period of time, they took him to the doctor.

In addition to his mental agitation and anxiety he also suffered from quivering hands and feet and palpitations.

Doctor Cao Thị Ánh Tuyết, from the Institute of Mental Health, said that after examination, the male student was diagnosed to have anxiety and ritual disorder and needed treatment.

“After the boy was diagnosed with the disease, his mother showed symptoms such as nervousness, anxiety and tremors and was examined by doctors at the institute. Through tests, we concluded that she also had an anxiety disorder, but did not worry too much about small problems like her son,” said Tuyết.

Doctor Lê Công Thiện, Head of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Ward, said that every day, up to half of the children who come to the ward are diagnosed with emotional problems, including anxiety disorders.

Reasons

Doctor Nguyễn Hoàng Yến, deputy head of the ward, said that the things causing anxiety disorders in children include cognitive and learning factors, biological and neurological factors, genetic factors along with social and environmental factors.

Yến noted that when children are between the ages of two and five they often show signs such as being rarely able to express themselves when faced with novelty. They do not smile, are not talkative and show little interaction, have limited eye contact and can be slow to be friendly with strangers or children of the same age and not ready to explore new situations.

They can be from two or four times more likely to suffer from anxiety disorders than other children.

Regarding the reason for the increased number of children with anxiety disorders, Thiện said that it was partly due to greater understanding of this disease and people paying more and more attention to mental health.

“Many patients said they were always stressed and tired because of feeling lonely in the family. For example, when the children have not spoken or explained, the parents had scolded them and did not listen to the child,” said Thiện.

Signs

Yến said that basically anxiety was normal. But for some children, anxiety is prolonged, excessive, impacts their behaviour and thinking, hinders learning and hampers family and social relationships.

That is when the children need to be taken to doctor to examine and evaluate their condition.

Signs of anxiety disorders include avoidance of social and learning activities, such as refusing to go to school, parties and camping, or a fear of bad things happening.

Children will fall behind in school, either because they lack concentration in class or have difficulty completing tests within the allotted time.

Children with anxiety disorders may present to doctors with physical problems – headaches, dizziness, difficulty swallowing, choking sensations, vomiting or nausea, chest pain, difficulty breathing, stomach pain, numbness and tingling in the fingers or toes due to rapid breathing or dramatic pain.

Research shows that a significant proportion of children with weight problems also report anxiety.

It is noteworthy that many studies have pointed out that anxious children may have suicidal thoughts.

Other studies have found that anxious children can also suffer from comorbid hopelessness and depression.

Therefore, the most important thing is to detect the disease early and know where to take the child for examination and consultation.

Doctor Thiện said: “If this disease is treated early, it will be very effective. Treatment can be done with medication, counselling and psychological therapy and the child can be cured.”

To prevent anxiety disorders in children, parents should adjust their children’s activities and lifestyles.

They should exercise regularly, about 30 minutes per day, eat nutritious foods, sleep at the right time from eight to ten hours a day depending on age.

They should also practice yoga, solve anxiety-causing problems right from the start and improve stress-coping and other social skills. — VNS