Long Term Effects of Anxiety Disorders in Children

Any person who has experienced a clinical anxiety disorder can attest to the toll it can take over time. Anxiety can interfere with so many aspects of daily life-sleeping, eating, shopping, the ability to meet family and financial responsibilities, getting to and from work, dealing with deadlines, meetings and public presentations at work, coping with social events, travel, and other health problems-the simplest and most essential tasks can become overwhelming. Anxiety disorders in children, if not addressed in early years, can lead to some very unhealthy long term effects.

The potential long-term consequences of uncontrolled anxiety disorders are well documented. People with phobias and panic attacks often find themselves unable to go to certain places and do many things for fear of encountering a trigger or experiencing an attack in public. Some people are unable to fly on a plane, drive a car, go out to dinner, or even hold a job. People with extreme social phobia may live in pretty much total isolation. Even people who manage to cope outwardly with their disorder may never actually be able to relax and enjoy life. Understandably, many anxiety sufferers develop clinical depression as well, and others are prone to develop alcohol and drug dependencies.

Now imagine suffering these feelings from childhood, and multiply the consequences by the number of years victims of childhood anxiety are likely to suffer with no awareness that they are not alone, not freaks, and that their feelings are actually an illness that can be treated.

Children who have anxiety disorders are at high risk for early educational problems that they may never be able to overcome. Some develop an avoidance of school that can cause them to fall behind their peers. Although many children who suffer from anxiety have above average intelligence, absenteeism and the inability to participate and perform actively in the classroom can interfere with their ability to learn. Their inability to speak out and perform in class may lead teachers and counselors to underestimate their potential and track them into less challenging courses.

Consider how many of our essential social abilities are first learned and practiced in the classroom and on the playground. Children with social anxiety disorder and social phobia are likely to be isolated from a very early age and never learn how to perform even ordinary social interactions, much less form lasting supportive relationships. They may find themselves perceived as social oddballs and be at risk for taunting and bullying. They are all too likely to grow up with low self-esteem and to develop substance abuse problems at an early age.

Children with obsessive-compulsive disorder also can find their school performance handicapped. Their compulsive thought patterns and behaviors can make it impossible for them to focus and concentrate in the classroom or on their homework. Their compulsive behavior patterns may expose them to hostility or ridicule from their peers, hampering their normal social development.

Long-term anxiety disorders can also contribute to the development of disabling physical problems over time, including heart damage, ulcers and other digestive tract disorders, high blood pressure, obesity, and chronic headaches. In the most extreme cases, anxiety disorders are serious risk factors for suicide in children as well as adults.

In fact, many people who are diagnosed with anxiety disorder as adults have probably had the condition since they were young. Anxiety symptoms left untreated may sometimes disappear, but they are equally likely to worsen over time.

For children who suffer from anxiety disorder, if their problems are not recognized and they do not receive the assistance and support they need in order to cope with their disorder, their chances of growing into productive, emotionally competent adults may be sabotaged from the start.