A family history of anxiety, for example, may make you predisposed to the condition. Exposure to negative or stressful life events can also trigger anxiety, as can alcoholism and/or substance use disorders, and medical conditions and environmental stressors can induce anxiety. In short, there is no one answer.
Fear/stress over everyday events: In a child, high functioning anxiety can include fear of going to school, visiting certain relatives, fear of the dark, and more. Panic attacks: Sudden shortness of breath or rapid breathing concerning an event, word, person, etc. can be a sign of previous trauma.
Some of the common risk factors for high-functioning anxiety include: A family history of anxiety disorders. Certain physical conditions, most commonly related to thyroid issues. Growing up in an environment with triggers, such as having parents or siblings who suffer from anxiety.
Things that happen in a child's life can be stressful and difficult to cope with. Loss, serious illness, death of a loved one, violence, or abuse can lead some kids to become anxious. Learned behaviors. Growing up in a family where others are fearful or anxious also can "teach" a child to be afraid too.
Treating High Functioning Anxiety
Talk therapy or psychotherapy is the most effective treatment for an anxiety condition, usually in combination with other forms of therapy, including experiential therapy and medication (especially when comorbid conditions are involved, such as depression or substance use).
High-functioning anxiety can be treated the same way that other anxiety disorders are treated, including therapy, prescription medications or a combination of the two. Talk therapy can be an effective way for some people to manage symptoms.
Overcontrolling parents may increase levels of worry and social anxiety in children as this parental behavior may communicate to youths that they do not have the skills to successfully navigate challenges in their environment, generally or in social situations, thereby causing the child to worry about his/her abilities ...
Childhood trauma is a major predisposing factor in forming anxiety symptoms and disorders in adulthood. Traumas can include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, exposure to domestic violence, parental substance abuse, and abandonment.
Children with generalized anxiety disorder are 3.5 times more likely to have a mother with generalized anxiety disorder. Children with social anxiety disorder are almost 3 times more likely to have a father with anxiety disorder.
Practising mindfulness and meditation – high functioning anxiety also gets treated through learning the art of relaxation and meditation. Since catastrophic thinking is at the heart of functioning anxiety, people must seek ways to break the thought patterns leading to stress.
Some people will have a strong biological predisposition to high functioning anxiety from birth, while others will be significantly influenced by the characteristics of their life experiences.
The peak ages for anxiety are typically between the ages of 5-7 years old and adolescence. However, everyone is different, and your anxiety can peak at various times, depending on what triggers it initially.
Babies can become anxious and fearful when a parent leaves their sight. Separation anxiety is usually at its peak between 10 and 18 months. It typically ends by the time a child is 3 years old.
Even though it is not part of the autism diagnostic criteria, many autistic people experience high levels of anxiety. Research varies but the consensus suggests that it might be common for around 40-50% of autistic people to receive a clinical diagnosis of anxiety.
"There's this idea that kids will outgrow these problems [related to anxiety], but the evidence doesn't support that." Without treatment, childhood anxiety is likely to persist, negatively affecting a child's social and family functioning and overall quality of life.
Substantial research links untreated childhood anxiety with mental illness in adulthood, including not only ongoing anxiety but also depression and substance abuse. She adds that anxiety is the most common mental health problem in children and adults and the median age of onset is 11.
Anxiety may present as fear or worry, but can also make children irritable and angry. Anxiety symptoms can also include trouble sleeping, as well as physical symptoms like fatigue, headaches, or stomachaches. Some anxious children keep their worries to themselves and, thus, the symptoms can be missed.
Toxic parents can have negative effects on children throughout their lifespan, including mental health disorders, depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol use, etc. Young children often show signs early on that their relationship with their parents is affecting their mental and physical health.
Repeated exposure to overly harsh and critical parenting may condition children to overreact to their mistakes, thereby increasing risk for anxiety disorders.
Any parent can experience postnatal anxiety. Feeling a little stressed is a common reaction to becoming a parent, but if anxiety becomes a problem, you may need professional help. Symptoms include intense feelings of worry that you're not doing things right, or that something bad will happen.
The difference is how they cope with their symptoms. When individuals with high-functioning anxiety experience symptoms, they tend to push themselves harder and hustle more. Conversely, those with low-functioning anxiety tend to focus on avoidance or removing themselves from the anxiety-producing circumstances.
Be open to listening.
A person with high functioning anxiety may struggle to communicate what they are thinking or even appear emotionally unavailable. Allow them to discuss what they are worried about and try to encourage them by reminding them of their strengths.
The most prominent of anti-anxiety drugs for the purpose of immediate relief are those known as benzodiazepines; among them are alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), diazepam (Valium), and lorazepam (Ativan).