Adults can’t let go
In Western societies, depression and anxiety disorders are present in 10 percent of children, a percentage that increases in adolescence and which has a major effect on school performance, the acquisition of social skills, and social adaptation generally. At least half of the children will have the same, or related, symptoms in adulthood. Fear of disaster «Anxiety first manifests itself in childhood and adolescence,» said Roussou. «It is a fear one has that something isn’t going well, that disaster will strike, that there is danger, which cannot be explained by external circumstances… «Apart from this diffuse anxiety, which seems to have no actual source, specific anxiety disorders also appear in children. One example is separation anxiety, which is experienced by children on being away from their families. «Another is a disproportionate fear of doing normal, ordinary things, such as going to school,» said Roussou. Social anxiety – an extreme fear of speaking in front of the class – is another manifestation, as is anxiety over grades as well as other phobias.
