Childhood phobic anxiety disorder

Childhood phobic anxiety disorder is a disorder characterized by increased fear. Fear in this case reaches the level of a pathological condition, leading to social maladjustment.

ICD-10 code

F93.1 Phobic anxiety disorder of childhood.

Reasons

The above disorders arise spontaneously or after a minor psychotraumatic situation, mainly in children with certain character traits (anxious, fearful, prone to “getting stuck” in the sphere of unpleasant impressions, sensitive-schizoid).

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Symptoms

Children, like adults, can have fears focused on a wide range of objects and situations. Each phase of personality development has its own fears. Younger preschoolers may be afraid of trees swaying in strong winds, insects, darkness, etc. Older children are often afraid of dogs, cats and other animals, darkness, etc.

Pathological fear can be discussed in cases where the degree of anxiety is pathological - the child screams loudly every time he sees the object of fear, cries, becomes motorically excited, and cannot calm down for a long time. The range of fears can expand due to new phobias - fear of leaving the house or sleeping alone, etc.

Diagnostics

The diagnosis is used only for fears specific to certain periods of development when they meet additional criteria:

• beginning at the appropriate developmental age;
• the degree of anxiety is pathological;
• anxiety is not part of a more generalized disorder.

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Indications for consultation with other specialists

If childhood anxiety-phobic disorder tends to persist for a long time, leads to social maladjustment, and is not completely reduced by psychological and pedagogical intervention, additional consultation with a psychiatrist is necessary.

Forecast

Childhood anxiety-phobic disorder tends to persist for a long time, but gradually completely reduces as the child grows older and with adequate medical and psychological-pedagogical intervention.

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