Description text goes hereA child may have GAD if they worry excessively about everyday events at home and around them, relationships with family and peers, performance in school, or health. Children will find themselves unable to control their worry and often deal with the following symptoms for at least six months:

• Restlessness

• Feeling on edge

• Exhaustion or fatigue

• Difficulty concentrating

• Anger, frustration, and irritability

• Trouble sleeping

• Muscle tension

• Stomach aches or diarrhea

panic disorder may be diagnosed if a child often has sudden panic attacks, in which they feel severe difficulty breathing or as though they are having a panic attack.

Children may have a social anxiety disorder if they have an immense fear of being judged or negatively perceived by those around them. Social anxiety disorder can cause children and teens to be self-conscious and extremely afraid of humiliating themselves, to the point that it impacts their speech and behavior during occasions where they have to be in front of around many people. Common signs include:

• Physical symptoms like redness, sweating, nausea, dizziness, and difficulty breathing

• Tendency to avoid normal situations because of the presence of other people

• Extreme stress and subsequent tantrums

• Excessive fear of being judged by other people

Separation anxiety disorder occurs when children feel extremely upset and afraid to leave their parents and caretakers. Symptoms should last for at least four weeks and include:

• Does not want to leave home or go to school

• Fear of being alone

• Physical symptoms like headaches and stomach aches

Selective mutism occurs when children cannot speak in certain situations or when in front of particular groups of people. This difficulty speaking is not caused by shyness, but by an overwhelming sense of anxiety that causes them to freeze. Youth are typically diagnosed if this behavior persists for over a month.

Children with specific phobias are terrified of a particular thing. This fear may cause physical reactions when they are faced with this phobia, like difficulty breaking, sweating, a racing heartbeat, and nausea. These signs typically persist for more than six months. According to Child Mind Institute, common phobias in youth include:

• Animals or insects

• Parts of the natural world, like water or heights

• Blood or shots

• Specific situations, like crowds or tight spaces

• Others include vomiting, choking, or loud sounds

Children with OCD tend to have unwanted thoughts that drive them to repeatedly perform certain routines — known as compulsions — to help calm their anxiety. Common forms of compulsions include a fear of germs, cleanliness, and organization, and a fear of causing harm (you can read more about other compulsions here). Examples of routines that are frequently seen in youth with OCD are:

• Checking on things repeatedly

• Excessive handwashing

• Illogical repetition of activities and phrases

• Tendency to always touch or rearrange things