Get Your Child Screened for Anxiety

If your child is between ages 8 and 18 years, ask the doctor about screening (testing) for anxiety — even if you don’t see signs of a problem.

Why do I need to get my child screened for anxiety?

Anxiety can affect your child’s mood and interfere with their usual activities — like school or time with family and friends.

The good news is that anxiety can be treated with counseling, medicine, or a combination of both. When you ask your child’s doctor about screening for anxiety, find out what services are available in case your child needs follow-up care.

Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and worry. It can be a normal reaction to a stressful situation, like taking a test or starting a new school year. But if anxiety doesn’t go away, becomes overwhelming, or interferes with everyday activities, it may be an anxiety disorder.

There are different types of anxiety disorders that can affect children and teens. For example:

• Generalized anxiety disorder: being very worried about the future or about bad things happening
• Separation anxiety disorder: feeling very scared to be away from parents or caregivers
• Social anxiety disorder: being very worried about what others might think or say about them — and often concerned about embarrassing themselves
• Panic disorder: having episodes of sudden, intense fear that involve symptoms like a pounding heart, trouble breathing, or dizziness when there’s no danger
• Phobias: being very afraid of a specific thing or situation, like spiders or the dark

If your child has an anxiety disorder, they may also have headaches, stomachaches, or other types of pain for no clear reason. And they might have trouble sleeping and be very tired during the day.

Keep in mind that some children and teens keep their worries and fears to themselves, which can make it hard to get them the help they need. That’s why it’s so important to have your child screened for anxiety.

To learn more about anxiety in children and teens, check out:

• Anxiety Disorders
• Helping Your Child Manage Anxiety (Video)

What causes anxiety?

Anyone can have anxiety. It’s not your fault or your child’s fault. Some experiences may make it more likely that a child or teen will develop anxiety. These include experiences like:

• Dealing with a stressful life situation, like a serious illness or a death in the family
• Having problems at school, like being bullied by other kids
• Experiencing trauma or abuse
• Living with someone who has anxiety
• Having a family history of anxiety

What happens during an anxiety screening?

The doctor will ask your child questions about their feelings and behaviors. This may include asking how often your child:

• Worries something bad might happen to them or a loved one
• Feels very scared to be away from parents or caregivers
• Feels nervous around people they don’t know well
• Has headaches or stomachaches at school

Screening for anxiety usually takes about 10 minutes. It can be part of your child’s yearly checkup.

What if the doctor finds signs of anxiety?

If your child is showing signs of anxiety, the doctor will:

• Refer your child to a therapist or doctor with special training in helping young people with emotional or behavioral problems
• Talk about treatments that can help your child manage their anxiety — like cognitive behavioral therapy (a type of talk therapy) or medicines
• Order tests to check for other health problems

Make sure to include your child when you make any decisions about their treatment.