Childhood is, by nature, marked by certain fears -- of monsters, of the dark, of being left with a new babysitter, of starting school, and so on. As children get older they outgrow these fears and may develop new ones, like the fear of failing a test or of being embarrassed when called on in class. But apart from these normal developmental fears, many also suffer from anxiety disorders -- up to 25% of 13- to 18-year-olds, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
At one time, children with persistent and significant fear of social situations were said to have either avoidant disorder of childhood or adolescence -- a kind of personality disorder -- or overanxious disorder of childhood. Later, experts in the field of psychology recognized that the symptoms of avoidant disorder of childhood or adolescence were actually those of social phobia, and the symptoms of overanxious disorder were the same as those of generalized anxiety disorder. Currently, one growing issue in psychology is the labeling of children and teens with behavioral difficulties that stem from Asperger's syndrome as socially avoidant.
Childhood is, by nature, marked by certain fears -- of monsters, of
the dark, of being left with a new babysitter, of starting school,
and so on. As children get older they outgrow these fears and may
develop new ones, like the fear of failing a...
More
Dr. Michael Mufson answered:Childhood is, by nature, marked by certain fears -- of monsters, of the dark, of being left with a new babysitter, of starting school, and so on. As children get older they outgrow these fears and may develop new ones, like the fear of failing a test or of being embarrassed when called on in class. But apart from these normal developmental fears, many also suffer from anxiety disorders -- up to 25% of 13- to 18-year-olds, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
