A child suffering from anxiety disorder provokes a state of doubting about himself or herself about the abilities and potential in learning. Moreover, it is a roller coaster that takes too long to track and control the distress. Most of the cases , anxiety is being simply mistakes as a general illness associated with unexplained headaches, feeling like vomiting , stomachaches and vomiting but a serious screening might end up diagnosing these symptoms under chronic anxiety disorder. A study conducted in rural parts of India, has concluded that 7-9% of the children suffer from one or many anxiety disorders or at least the associated illnesses such as depression, anxiety neurosis and attention deficit.

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental illnesses in school going kids resulting in 50% of the school absenteeism. Anxiety disorders can make kids feel like excessively frightened, irritable, blank-minded, distressed, uneasy and feeling of bluntness. If left untreated, anxiety disorders can seriously hamper kids' ability to study. Anxiety is a spectrum of illnesses rather than an isolated disease.  More often than not, it is associated with many other mental illnesses mainly depression. Anxiety is manifested in many ways, some of them are:

1. Separation anxiety where children are afraid of being alone when separated from the caregiver’s and this can further serious as their academic performance is affected.
2. Social anxiety is when children feel highly insecure when they are being exposed to the outsid3e world and most often they demand someone`s help when they mingle with their peers.
3. Selective mutism is concerned with being preoccupied within themselves and not able to express what they really fee-like. These kids find hard time speaking with mates and the teachers.
4. Generalized anxiety is the most common type of anxiety characterized by uncontrolled tension, restlessness, worry and feeling of unexplained hurt. Children with generalized anxiety are concerned about their school performance and can struggle with perfectionism.
5. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a habitual manifestation associated with obsessive (uncontrolled) thoughts and compulsive actions or rituals such as counting or washing their hands, biting nails. These behaviors make them feel comfortable and less tensed for a brief period of time however there is no proper scientific explanation for the phenomenon.
6. Specific phobias are the irrational fearsabout particular things or living beings such as animals, open spaces, high altitudes, insects etc.
7. Panic disorder that involves repeated episodes of intense tension, apprehension, feeling like terror or death for a while. In these kids, the anxiety gets peaked in a fraction of second and it is associated with shortness of breath, chest pain, pounding heart with palpitations and excessive perspiration.

Causes of anxiety disorders in kids

Anxiety is associated with many facets of life starting from their genetic inheritance till the learnt behaviors to defend against threats such as enactment due to excessive academic expectation from parents and teachers. However, in most cases, a known organic cause can be traced out. Some of the factors that can cause anxiety are genetics, abnormal brain chemistry, serious loss of a valued ones, parental relationship issues, learned behaviors etc. In some cases excessive substance abuse can also induce the state of dependency on alcohol, smoking and drugs where children feel strange when they stop using these addictive substances. Some of the associated medical causes includes hart diseases, diabetes, thyroid problems, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma

General Manifestations of Anxiety disorders

Signs and symptoms depends upon the type of anxiety and the causative factor. However, some of the dangerous signs of an anxiety episode where medical treatment is necessary are

1. Feel like agitated, restless, and not able to calm down despite many attempts.
2. Sometimes children are good at tests and homework, but when there are afraid of answering the teachers.
3. Refusal to go to school and not willing to stay long in the school campus.
4. Clinging to parents where child needs one of his favorite parent always.
5. Low self-confidence, motivation and independence.
6. Excessive nightmares and awakening from the bed frequently.
7. A profound worry over petty issues which interferes with play and academics.
8. Feeling like depressed, low and not able to concentrate on studies.
9. Frequent complaints of butterflies in the stomach associated with body aches, headache, and stomach upset, but the medical examination reveals nothing to worry about.
10. In chronic cases associated with depression, children often exhibit suicidal thoughts or behaviors and this is a state of emergency.

Anxiety and learning

As per psychologists, behavior can be learnt and unlearnt when needed and the same applies here because anxiety is mostly because of a specific factor. Each child is different, so a careful analysis and observation can provide hints to manage an individual child.  Kids must be taught certain basic defense mechanisms and encourage them to apply when necessary.           In most of the cases, child must be trained to live with anxiety as it is inseparable part. Some of the every basic coping skills like deep breathing, meditation, pranayama, and yoga can help to some extent however medicines are helpful to relieve anxiety quickly.

Role of parents, peers and teachers

Child must be taught not to be desperate and calm down when necessary. Make sure that the child understand not to fight against what he is feeling from but to adapt to the situation. The more he or she fights, the greater the anxiety. Help the child to preview the source of anxiety in advance and be prepared for the crisis. Parents must listen to the child and praise for every positive behaviors. On the other side, teachers need to take some time to interact with the child before assigning the tasks as these kids differ from others.