SNDT Women's University, India
Abstract Anxiety disorders (defined as “mental health condition marked by excessive and uncontrollable fear/worry that interferes with daily life”) in children is one of the areas that require special attention from health care providers. Such disorders, which are common among nearly 15%–20% of youth (15-24 years of age) involve excessive and persistent fear/worry that interferes with daily life activities of children (both boys and girls). It is of utmost importance to find out the symptoms and to know how to address the anxiety disorders. Prime objective of this work is to present description on management of anxiety disorders among children. Also, it briefly looks into associated symptoms and areas of intervention. Secondary data (largely ‘qualitative’ in nature) have been used, and method of data analysis is ‘descriptive’. Data analysis indicates that there are various reasons for mental disorders symptoms include school avoidance, physical complaints (stomach aches, headaches, etc.), sleep disorders, irritability, excessive emotional dependence, and insecurity. Anxiety is considered a disorder if worries/fears interfere with life of children for more than six months. There are four types of anxiety disorders: separation anxiety disorders, specific phobias, social anxiety disorders, and panic disorders. Health care providers need to talk to children to diagnose anxiety. In terms of treatment options, there are two ways to treat anxiety: behavioral therapy, and medication therapy. It is important to note that both of these modalities work on their own. However, they work better together. This abstract concludes that timely addressing anxiety disorders during childhood is crucial.
Dr. Santosh Kumar Mishra (retired from Population Education Resource Centre, Department of Lifelong Learning & Extension, S.N.D.T. Women's University, Mumbai, India) is Independent Researcher (Scholar). He acquired Ph.D. in 1999. He has authored 6 booklets, 4 books, 32 book chapters, 111 articles, & 126 papers for national and international conferences.