四大跡象表明你的孩子可能患有焦慮症

Three experts weigh in on the subtle ways your little one might be asking for your help.

三位專家從細微的方式入手闡明你的寶貝兒可能在尋求你的幫助。

THEY ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE.

他們會問很多關於未來的問題。

Kids with anxiety often worry about what's going to happen and if they're going to be okay. While they might not be able to truly verbalize these fears, they might frequently try to ease their minds by coming to you with questions about the future. "Children often include their parents in their anxiety by asking for and seeking out reassurance," says Dr. Janine Domingues, a clinical psychologist in the Anxiety and Mood Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute in New York City. If your child is beginning to ask a wealth of questions that begin with the words "what if," take note.

患焦慮症的孩子總會擔心會發生什麼事兒，以及自己是否會安然無恙。也許他們不能完全表達出自己的擔憂，但他們可能會頻繁的過來找你，問你一些有關未來的問題以使自己平靜。"孩子們通常會通過詢問尋求慰藉來讓父母瞭解他們的焦慮，" Janine Domingues醫生說道，她是紐約市兒童心理研究所焦慮和情緒紊亂中心的臨牀心理學家。如果你的孩子開始問及一些以"如果"開頭的問題，那麼你們就得注意了。

THEY'VE STARTED EATING A LOT MORE OR A LOT LESS.

他們開始食慾大增或食慾銳減。

Abnormal behavioral symptoms of any sickness are often the ones that parents notice first, and behavioral symptoms of anxiety are no exception, says Dr. Aarti Gupta, a family psychologist and the clinical director of TherapyNest in Los Altos, California. Just like when she's battling an illness that makes her stomach upset, your child might push away food (or even eat more of it than usual) when she's feeling anxious.

家長們首先都會注意到疾病所帶來的異常行爲症狀，而焦慮的行爲症狀也不例外，Aarti Gupta醫生說道，他是加州洛杉磯治療屋（TherapyNest）的家庭心理學家和臨牀主任。正如孩子們肚子痛時會推開食物一樣（又甚至是比平常吃的多），孩子們感到焦慮時也會如此。

THEY'RE OFTEN IRRITABLE AND THROW OVER-THE-TOP TEMPER TANTRUMS.

他們十分易怒，老是亂髮脾氣。

Dr. Debra Kissen, the clinical director of the Light on Anxiety Treatment Center in Chicago, says that children will often seem irritable and aggressive as they attempt to process the complex emotions that come with an anxiety disorder. She also says children with anxiety might exhibit a "low frustration tolerance" - meaning their reactions will seem disproportionate to the severity of the situations they're dealing with, and their temper tantrums might seem over-the-top.

芝加哥光照焦慮治療中心（Light on Anxiety Treatment Center）的臨牀主任Debra Kissen醫生說：由於孩子們試圖消化焦慮症帶來的複雜情感，因此他們總是容易生氣，咄咄逼人。她還說焦慮症的孩子們還會有"較低的抗挫忍受力"--表明他們的反應可能會與他們所面臨狀況的嚴重度不相符，表明他們會亂髮脾氣。

THEY SUFFER FROM FREQUENT HEADACHES AND TUMMY ACHES.

他們總是頭痛、肚子痛。

Although these physical symptoms might not seem directly connected to the mental health problem that is anxiety, all three of our experts point to frequent headaches and stomachaches as common signs of the disorder. These physical reactions are the direct result of your child's body responding to the danger they perceive, Dr. Domingues says.

雖然這些身體症狀與心理問題焦慮症沒有什麼直接聯繫，但以上三位專家都指出經常頭痛和肚子痛卻是焦慮症的常見症狀。孩子們感知危險後會做出身體反應，而這些症狀就是身體反應的直接結果，Domingues醫生說道。