Does My Child Have an Anxiety Disorder? Here Are the Signs Parents Should Look Out For

It may have been monsters under the bed, robbers breaking into the house or ghosts lurking in the darkness sending shivers down your spine when you were young.

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Fears are a normal part of human development and serve as survival mechanisms, helping prevent children and adults from engaging in risky behavior. But once fears become debilitating or impair daily function, they can be classified as a phobia or anxiety disorder, said Thomas Ollendick, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Virginia Tech, who is known for his work with children and adolescents.

If anxiety disorders and phobias are left untreated, children are at risk of additional psychiatric or medical problems, which could follow them into adulthood, according to Wendy Silverman, director of the Yale Child Study Center’s Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program, Alfred A. Messer Professor of Child Psychiatry, and professor of psychology at the Yale School of Medicine.

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