As a parent, it can be difficult to recognize your child's pain - especially because children respond differently to pain than adults. Some children do not talk about it for fear of being at the pediatrician. As reported by our Top Health confreres, when a child manages to say that he has a stomach ache, it sometimes means that he has pain elsewhere and probably suffers from anxiety. This is often manifested by abdominal pain.
According to a study conducted by the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Virginia Commonwealth University, anxiety affects 30% of children and adolescents, while 80% never receive help.
Symptoms of anxiety in children
Note: Before assigning your child's physical symptoms to anxiety, be sure to have a medical exam with your doctor to rule out any medical problems.
Physical symptoms
· Abdominal pain - This is a very common complaint that anxious children often suffer. Remember that the nervous system and the digestive system are linked. The intestine reacts to all the moods of your children, and as these little ones do not know how to manage their stress and their emotions, they are likely to be victims of stomach pains.
· Headaches - As you have already noticed, children usually say "my head hurts" rather than "I have a headache". Stress, anxiety or anxiety can trigger a headache in children.
· Muscle pain - It could be like "I have a sore leg" or "I do not feel good everywhere". A child is anxious about the slightest things, just the idea of not watching an episode of his favorite cartoon. This anxiety is manifested by a concern that spreads pain, including muscle pain ...
Avoidance
When a child is worried about a situation, he can simply avoid any activity or place that triggers the sensation. It's a way for him not to think about it.
Anger
The emotion that is sometimes easier to express for children is anger. An emotional explosion could mean that their feelings are too big and too intense for them to express themselves differently.
Obstinacy
If you've ever tried to get a child to do something he does not want to do, you know how frustrating it can be.
When he absolutely refuses to do what you ask him, anxiety can be at the root of your child's stubbornness.
Timidity
Hiding behind your mother or bowing your head and looking at the floor is something you should not ignore.
What to do next?
A child pain treatment program treats physical pain while the mental health physician addresses the depression and anxiety that accompanies it. It can enable children and adolescents to develop coping skills and other methods of pain control, including biofeedback techniques, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and hydrotherapy. (treatment with the use of water).
If left untreated, chronic pain can affect children in a way that will follow them into adulthood, or even old age. Advocate for your child/youth by ensuring that their chronic pain and related issues receive specialized treatment.
As physicians become more familiar with the interaction between childhood pain and mental disorders, they are able to offer more help to these young patients.
