The typical age of onset is 13 years old, but children younger than 8 or 9 can also suffer. Symptoms may be so extreme that they disrupt daily life. Children, adolescents, and teens with this disorder may have few or no friends. They may not participate in class or play at recess.
A health professional can provide a diagnosis and individualized treatment plan for social anxiety disorder. Both cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication are scientifically proven effective treatments. Your therapist should be able to discuss how long it will take for you to begin to experience relief.
Drawing on his own long-standing battle with anxiety, Scott Stossel, author of My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind, presents the history and efforts to understand an affliction that is pervasive yet often misunderstood. Watch his conversation with talk show host Mimi Geerges.
Many people have trouble sleeping at times. But it's more likely after you have experienced an accident, war, assault, disaster, or other traumatic event. Trouble sleeping and nightmares are two symptoms of PTSD.
You may find you are sleeping too little, or too much, or having nightmares. If these symptoms don't go away, get worse over time, or interfere with your daily life, it might be time to see a doctor.
Sleep Issues:
Sleep disturbances are reported in over 70% of individuals with PTSD.
Posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is diagnosed after a person experiences symptoms for at least one month following a traumatic event. The disorder is characterized by three main types of symptoms:
When anxiety takes over, it interferes with your child’s ability to cope with fear, worry, and depression — and treatment is necessary.
Early intervention is critical. Waiting for your child to mature or grow out of these behaviors may not be the right approach. In some cases children may develop chronic anxiety and depression, which is often associated with substance abuse and other high-risk behaviors.
I have learned that anxiety and depression go hand-in-hand, and there is no shame in having either — although it’s tough for many people to get their arms around that concept. When I struggled with both in my last couple years as the Texas Rangers’ baseball play-by-play announcer, the few people in whom I confided expressed genuine shock. “Depressed? About what? You’ve got a great job! Legions of adoring fans! A wonderful family!
My descent into GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) began the morning I received the call bringing the news of my mother's accidental death. It was the same week that my husband was laid off. We had moved across the country for his new job, and eight months later he was laid off. After only two months out West, we moved back, and I had a nervous breakdown.