Despite its bad reputation, it is necessary to recognize that anxiety is an excellent defense mechanism on a biological level. Living beings need to be able to induce conscious states of alert in our own organism, in order to sharpen our senses and escape the threat that threatens us at a specific moment.
When we feel fear and anxiety, adrenaline and cortisol are released in the body. The first increases the heart rate, constricts the blood vessels, dilates the airways and participates in the combat reaction of the central nervous system (CNS). On the other hand, cortisol is slower to be established and is secreted in response to stress. This suppresses the immune system and mobilizes the body’s nutrients so that they can be converted into energy, among many other things.
Both hormones transmit a clear concept to the body: prepare to fight, run or face adversity. The problem arises when cortisol and other stress hormones are established long-term in the body’s bloodstream and tissues, giving rise to what we know today as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Next, we explore this clinical entity in the pediatric age and the main triggers of childhood anxiety
Anxiety entails a series of negative feelings and, therefore, it is normal that we do not like to experience it, whether we are children or adults.
In any case, it is necessary to take into account that A certain degree of sporadic anxiety in a child does not have to be bad For him everything is new and every moment is a challenge (his first day of school, learning to use the bathroom, trying a new food, etc.), so hyperstimulation and anxious perceptions at this time are, to some extent, normal. .
Based on this premise, we find it interesting to present the signs that confirm the diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder, presented by the American Psychological Organization in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fifth edition). For a TAG to be considered as such, the following requirements must be met:
This criterion is aimed at the adult population, but is perfectly applicable to younger patients In any case, you should go to mental health professionals immediately with your child if he or she has sleeping or eating problems for three days in a row, if he or she hears voices that others don’t, if he or she seems out of control, or if he or she has worrying behaviors, however subjective this last criterion may be. All of these symptoms can be complemented with those previously described to suspect GAD in a child.
Main causes of generalized anxiety in boys and girls
GAD is a common disorder, affecting 2 to 6% of children Its average age of presentation is 8 years old and it usually affects girls more than boys, but it can occur at many other times in life. Below, we present some of the triggers of this disorder.
1. Family inheritance and genetic predispositions
Anxiety disorders show a clear family inheritance pattern. The genetic contribution explains 38% of the variability of GAD symptoms and 44% of panic disorders, For example. The Grm2 gene (Glutamate receptor 2) seems to play an essential role in these pathologies, but of course the burden of such a complex disorder cannot be attributed to a single pair of alleles.
At the research level, GAD is considered a polygenic trait, that is, influenced by various genes and epigenetic mechanisms Epigenetics refers to the expression or suppression of certain genes depending on the environment, so not only the genomic load matters, but also the patient’s life context.
2. Traumatic events
Generalized anxiety can be caused by a traumatic event, such as the loss of a loved one, a serious illness, or parental divorce Above all, anxiety after the death of a parent is extremely common. It is necessary for the infant to learn to channel pain, control crises and experience grief, without excessive haste or distress. Pharmacological therapy can help a lot in these cases.
3. Overprotection
Perhaps this generates more anxiety as a natural event than GAD, but as they say, everything adds up when it comes to explaining a psychological condition (both environment, genetics and personal predisposition). Overprotecting a child creates a clear rebound effect since it causes him to have excessive fear of the event to which he is being denied exposure in the first instance.
In the case of children with previous pathologies or functional diversity, overprotection is even more common. Parents try to prevent the child from suffering mishaps due to his/her non-neurotypical conditions and, unintentionally, make him/her feel afraid of the environment around him/her. As in all cases, going to therapy (individual or family) can help a lot in learning to manage the special conditions in each case.
To do?
As we have seen, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a clinical entity separate from the rest, characterized by the symptoms described above. Anyway, Anxiety can be a symptom of another broad-spectrum disorder, such as ADHD, major depressive disorders (MDD), and other clinical entities
Therefore, when looking for the causes of childhood anxiety, it is necessary to know if it is a natural event, a clinical entity of its own, or a symptom of another disorder. Only in this way will it be possible to know the underlying reasons for the event and apply the appropriate treatment to the patient, regardless of his or her age. And those in charge of examining these cases one by one are mental health professionals, so when faced with these problems it is important to go to therapy.
If you are looking for psychotherapy services to address cases of childhood anxiety or other emotional disorders in children, adults or adolescents, contact us. In Psychological Awakenings We serve both in person and through online sessions.
