In looking to answer the most common questions and resolve the most common issues surrounding anxiety disorders, it is imperative to also address the concerns brought up by people who have friends, family members, or loved ones with anxiety or panic disorder. We all want what is best for the people closest to us, and knowing how to deal with sudden symptoms of anxiety or panic can be difficult. This can be hard to deal with, but knowing how to recognize anxiety can make it easier.
When someone you love is diagnosed with a panic or anxiety disorder or when you suspect that their actions and behaviors may be symptoms of one, it is important for you to learn all that you can so that you can be an effective part of their treatment and recovery. In this last section, we will work to help you learn the signs and symptoms of anxiety in people around you, including spouses, children, parents, and friends. We will look at how signs of anxiety differ between age groups and what can cause anxiety disorders in people of different ages.
In addition to helping you recognize signs and symptoms of an anxiety disorder, we will help address the most common questions and concerns. We will help you learn what you can do to encourage a loved one to seek treatment for an anxiety disorder as well as what you can do to help. This includes joining support groups, being there where you are needed, and even communicating in a way that lets your loved one know that you are not judging them.
We will also help you learn when you may be doing too much or when someone’s anxiety may be affecting you negatively. Ensuring that relationships are healthy is always important, and anxiety should not be a reason for someone to hurt you or take advantage of you. Knowing how to recognize when a relationship is unhealthy for you both is an important part of caring for someone you love.
It is my hope that this section provides you with the tools you need to help your loved ones. Anxiety is never easy, and it can be even harder when it is our loved ones who are suffering. With the right knowledge and with the willingness of your loved one to seek help, you can both get through this together.
Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms
When you care for someone and spend a great deal of time with them, you might think that you would instantly recognize if they developed an anxiety disorder. The truth of the matter, however, is that these disorders often happen so slowly and gradually that it can be hard to notice that something has changed until symptoms have become severe. Because anxiety can present in so many ways, it is also common for people to think that their loved ones have just become moody.
In this chapter, we will take a deeper look at how you can recognize the signs and symptoms of anxiety in someone that you love. Whether you suspect that your child, spouse, parent, or friend is suffering, identifying the warning signs can help you ensure that they are able to get the treatment that they need. The faster someone is able to receive treatment for their anxiety, the more likely that they will be able to recover quickly before the condition becomes disabling or starts to severely affect their daily functioning.
Recognizing Anxiety in Children
Recognizing anxiety in children can be difficult. Young children are just starting to develop their personalities and test their boundaries, and sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between normal boundary establishment and moodiness and anxiety problems. Anxiety is also a normal human response in certain situations, which can also make it harder to tell if your child’s symptoms are signs of a disorder or just a response to natural stresses at home or at school.
Another thing that can make it hard to recognize signs of anxiety in children is that they may be unable to properly express their feelings, symptoms, or emotions in a way that can convey to you that something may be amiss. In many cases, they may not even realize that their thoughts or behaviors are not normal. Because of this, it is up to you to notice when something may be wrong.
What follows are some symptoms that may indicate that you should talk with your child or consider speaking with a counselor or therapist:
- Excessive worry over school assignments
- Repeating the same assignment, task, or action over and over because it is not just right
- Childhood fears start to interfere with daily life or reach proportions that cause severe distress
- Panic attacks
- Clinging or whining behavior that displays a constant need for support and companionship
- Compulsive, repetitive actions, such as repeatedly checking under the bed, washing hands, or counting
- Recurrent nightmares, persistent insomnia, emotional disconnect, or intense fears following loss or another trauma
- Sudden decrease in concentration that disrupts school or home function
- Becoming unusually critical of themselves
- Unjustified but persistent worry
- Compulsive nail biting or hair pulling or nervous tics
- Self harming behaviors such as cutting
- Drug or alcohol use or other self medicating behaviors
- Withdrawal from social activities and situations
- Physical illnesses such as stomach upset and headaches that have no medical cause
All of these symptoms can be red flags for parents. Recognizing anxiety symptoms in your children may not always be easy, but symptoms such as these should certainly prompt concern. It is common for parents to worry what others will think if their child is diagnosed with a mental illness, but studies show that children who receive prompt treatment for anxiety disorders are often able to recover fully. Unlike adults, children and adolescents are still forming their personalities and behavior patterns, which makes it much easier for cognitive behavioral therapy to teach new thought patterns, behaviors, and techniques that will reduce or even eliminate symptoms of anxiety and panic.