I don't want to be afraid! Neurotic fears in children article on the topic

Some people are constantly tense; everything in the world causes them anxiety and panic. Will prices in stores increase, will there be health problems, will a meteorite fall? People who constantly worry about any reason suffer from fear neurosis (another name is anxiety neurotic disorder). It is possible to cope with the problem. High-quality psychotherapy and a person’s desire to overcome pathology eliminate it.

Why does fear neurosis occur?

Fear neurosis has many “fathers”. But most often the disorder appears due to:

• psychological trauma (dismissal, divorce). A person begins to lose ground under his feet, the future becomes foggy. This is what gives rise to neurosis;
• severe stressful situations (passing an exam, moving to another city, pregnancy). Too sudden changes in life instill uncertainty and cause fear;
• "psychological heredity". If a child grows up in a “neurotic” family, where parents are constantly worried, then he gradually becomes anxious himself.

Fear neurosis can be caused not only by mental, but also by physiological problems. It is provoked by:

• pathologically active thyroid gland;
• hormonal imbalances caused by various diseases, menopause;
• genetic predisposition. According to statistics, people whose close relatives are susceptible to fear neurosis suffer from this disorder several times more often than others.

Phobias

The main symptom of phobias as neurotic disorders is the manifestation of strong fears and anxiety states. In some cases, the patient exhibits a constant state of anxiety, which is either vague or has a clear direction. A phobia is usually called a strong and at the same time unconscious feeling of fear in relation to an object or a certain situation. A person susceptible to a phobia is constantly in an anxious state and feels a threat or danger emanating from the phenomenon or object that frightens him.

A patient in this condition may experience shortness of breath , a panicky feeling of fear, palpitations, nausea, and dizziness . Such signs are characteristic of all types of phobias that a person suffers from. If a patient with such a disease finds himself in a difficult situation, then he develops severe anxiety , turning into panic. In order to prevent such manifestations, the patient tries to protect himself from contact with the object of fear and, accordingly, is to a certain extent isolated from society. As a result, he often has difficulties in his daily life.

At the same time, a person prone to phobias visits a doctor relatively rarely. Mostly, patients who come to specialists are afraid of serious illness or imminent death. Women are more likely to face irrational fears. At the same time, a person often clearly realizes that his fear has no rational explanation, and tries to cope with it.

Doctors today identify an extensive list of phobias, but they are usually divided into three large types. With social phobias, a person manifests a fear of society, as well as a variety of situations that happen every day in society. Experts today define social phobia as one that can seriously ruin a person’s quality of life.

With agoraphobia , the patient suffers from an irrational fear of being trapped.

Another type of fear is specific phobias , in which the patient develops fear of certain objects and situations. Fear can be caused by bacteria, spiders, snakes, medicine, etc. There are a lot of such fears, and their number is constantly growing.

Treatment of phobias depends on the individual characteristics of the disease and the patient himself, in particular on his willpower and character. One of the methods used in the treatment of phobias is the use of exposure to the patient of the object of his fear. A certain situation is simulated, and the person is left alone with his fear. Thanks to this approach, the patient comes to the realization that this object does not cause him real harm.

The contrasting technique is also used in the therapy process, which consists of teaching a person relaxation methods that allow them to relax and cope with fear.

Separately, experts identify panic attacks , in which the patient develops a sudden strong feeling of anxiety, which turns into panic. There are no objective reasons for this condition. In anxiety states, signs of depression .

Manifestations of anxiety-neurotic disorder

Unlike a phobia, where the object of fear is a specific thing or situation, anxiety neurosis does not “crystallize” into something specific. The entire life of an individual suffering from this disorder is “colored” by fear. Its sources only change periodically. This fear is not as strong as a panic attack, but it lasts much longer, generating constant internal tension and a feeling of danger.

Fear neurosis differs from natural anxiety in its irrationality and intensity. Insignificant events become the reason for strong feelings in an “anxious neurotic”. For example, as soon as a person learns that the company he works for has suffered minor losses, it immediately begins to seem that they are about to lay off the job. And no reason can remove fear. Obsessive anxious thoughts constantly “scream” that they will soon be fired. They interfere with work, they interfere with rest. These persistent thoughts give rise to fear of an “ominous” unpredictable future and cause a feeling of complete helplessness.

The disorder also causes:

• serious sleep problems, gives rise to nightmares. It is impossible to fall asleep without sleeping pills or strong sedatives;
• severe problems with concentration, forgetfulness;
• irritability, mild excitability;
• chronic fatigue, which is not relieved by proper sleep and rest;
• muscle tension and pain;
• chronic stomach problems, diarrhea, indigestion;
• pressure surges, rapid pulse, shortness of breath and dizziness.

Fear neurosis is the “father” of a host of other psychological problems. It generates:

• clinical depression. This is a very common companion to anxiety neurosis. Together they form a kind of tandem, which is often called anxiety-depressive neurosis;
• hypochondria - continuous pathological worry about one’s own health;
• obsessive-compulsive neurosis;
• a wide variety of “specific” phobias - fear of heights, closed spaces, being late for work, etc. At the same time, the neurosis of fear does not disappear anywhere, it is present in the mind along with a specific phobia.

Neurotic fears

As noted in the article Fears, usually age-related fears exist after they arise for 3-4 weeks. This can be considered the norm. If during this time the intensity of fear increases, then we are talking about neurotic fear. It is characterized by great emotional intensity, tension, and duration. Fears can exist and grow until old age. Of course, this adversely affects the formation of character and leads to the emergence of defensive behavior: avoidance of the object of fear, as well as everything new and unknown. Against the background of neurotic fear, other neuroses and asthenia may manifest: increased fatigue, sleep disturbance, rapid heartbeat, etc.

The most significant differences between neurotic fears and age-related ones:

• greater emotional intensity and tension

• long or constant course

• adverse effect on the formation of character and personality

• painful point

• relationship with other neurotic disorders and experiences (neurotic fears are one of the symptoms of neurosis as a mental illness of a developing personality)

• reflection on behavior through not only avoiding the object of fear, but also everything new and unknown associated with it, i.e. development of protective behavior

• stronger connection to parental fears

• relative difficulty of eliminating them

Neurotic fears are not any fundamentally new types of fears. In one form or another, they are also found in neuropsychically healthy children. These fears become neurotic as a result of prolonged and insoluble experiences or acute mental shocks.

The presence of numerous fears is a sign of lack of self-confidence and lack of adequate psychological protection, which all together adversely affects the child’s well-being, creating even greater difficulties in communicating with peers.

Fear for one's life, due to its prevalence in older preschool age, does not have significant differences between children with neuroses and healthy peers. The differences here are rather of a qualitative nature and boil down to fear of attack, fire, fire, bad dreams, illness, and the elements. All these fears are pronounced and stable, and not just age-related, and they are based on the fear of death. This fear means the fear of “being nothing,” that is, not existing, not being at all, since you can disappear without a trace in a fire, in a fire, die during natural disasters, be exposed to mortal danger in a dream, or be injured as a result of an attack or illness.

More often, such fears are experienced by sensitive children who have emotional difficulties in relationships with their parents. Their self-image is distorted by family emotional rejection or conflict, and they cannot rely on adults for security, authority, and love. Therefore, fear of death always indicates the presence of serious emotional problems in relationships with parents, problems that cannot be resolved by the children themselves.

Closer to 7-8 years, with a large number of unresolved fears coming from an early age, we can already talk about the development of anxiety with a predominant feeling of restlessness and fear of doing something wrong, being late, not meeting generally accepted requirements and norms, fear of not being those who are loved and respected. The fear of being the wrong person is most often found not just among emotionally sensitive children with a developed sense of self-esteem, but precisely among those of them who are internally oriented toward social norms and strive to comply with them.

Source: A.Yu. Tatarintseva “Children’s fears”

Video taken from youtube.com User World of children's emotions and feelings

How to distinguish neurosis from psychosis?

The similarity between neurosis and psychosis is no more than superficial:

• psychosis “separates” the individual from reality and greatly distorts the perception of the world. Whereas neurosis only exaggerates problems and makes mountains out of molehills. However, a person perceives what is happening quite sensibly;
• A neurotic does not have delusional ideas; his train of thoughts is quite logical. Yes, he may think that, for example, he will be fired when the likelihood of this is negligible. However, a neurotic will never begin to believe that evil aliens will deliberately take away his job.

If the unrealistic fear of a neurotic can be broken by the arguments of reason, then no facts or evidence will have any effect on a person who has psychosis.

Anxiety

Anxiety behaves differently. This is a long-term condition that can last with a person for days, months, years. Sometimes all my life.

Anxiety does not arise “here and now.” She is always future-oriented. Always answers the question “what if?”

What if I feel bad, what if I embarrass myself, what if I lose money?

So, if you are afraid to have your teeth treated, you may be constantly in a state of anxious anticipation that the moment will eventually come when you will have to go to the dentist.

Anxiety is the awareness of a threat that lurks in the future. Sometimes a person may become anxious about one specific event. Thus, a student who has entered his final year of university may spend the entire year anxiously awaiting the defense of his diploma.

People with generalized anxiety disorder have so many potential threats that they worry constantly about everything, often without even understanding what exactly (that’s fear and anxiety for no reason). And sometimes without clearly noticing that they are worried.

At the same time, like fear, fright, anxiety is accompanied by bodily manifestations. The symptoms of such emotional anxiety are not as pronounced as with fear. But they constantly persecute a person and force him to see doctors, who usually diagnose VSD - vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Treatment of fear neurosis

To ease anxiety and anxiety-depressive neurotic disorders, you should use the following recommendations.

Physical exercise

In the treatment of fear neurosis, exercise is a natural “anti-stressor”. They:

• relieve muscle tension;
• burn “anxiety” hormones (adrenaline);
• stimulate the production of happiness hormones - serotonin, endorphin;
• harden the body, making it more resistant to stress.

Therefore, try to devote at least 30 minutes a day to physical activity. Do aerobics, run, dance, swim, walk. And “tighten” your facial muscles more often. Laugh, smile even at bad jokes. This will ease internal tension and reduce anxiety.

Pay special attention to breathing

Neurotic disorders always disrupt breathing, making it short and frequent. Calm, deep breaths relax you and help release the grip of anxiety. Do the following exercise every 3-4 hours 5-10 minutes:

1. Slowly inhale deeply. Be sure to do this with your nose (mouth closed).
2. Hold your breath for 3-4 seconds and begin to exhale very slowly (slower than you inhaled).

This simple exercise will normalize your heart rate, relax your muscles and relieve psychological stress.

Tighten your muscles to relax them

Fear keeps the muscles in constant painful tension. If you relax them, the anxiety will instantly become less intense. Just tense for a couple of seconds and then relax different muscle groups in turn. Start with your toes, then move to your ankles, moving up.

Get enough sleep

Anxiety disorder disrupts sleep. This further aggravates the problem, because it is much more difficult for a person who does not get enough sleep to cope with stress. Therefore, try to be sure to rest properly. To make it easier to fall asleep, go to bed at the same time, listen to the soothing sound of the sea surf or calm music before going to bed.

Normalize your diet

Eat right. If you don't eat for a long time, your blood sugar levels will drop, causing anxiety and irritability. Therefore, try not to skip meals. Eat more fruits and vegetables rich in fiber. This substance stabilizes blood sugar levels and stimulates the production of the calming hormone serotonin. Limit your intake of foods high in sugar, the excess of which in the blood causes anxiety.

Stop drinking coffee. Caffeine is the cause of a range of disturbing physiological symptoms - increased heart rate, shaky limbs and a general feeling of anxiety. This substance also impairs sleep.

Give up bad habits

Forget about alcohol and cigarettes. They don't help, they only make the problem worse. Alcohol and nicotine only relieve anxiety for a short time. Then the fear returns. And with greater force.

Pharmaceutical treatment

Treatment of fear neurosis with pharmaceuticals is used to consolidate the effect of psychotherapy. The most effective ways to solve the problem are:

• antidepressants (especially serotonin reuptake inhibitors). These drugs act slowly but surely. Anxiety begins to subside within 2–4 weeks from the start of use;
• tranquilizers (gidazepam and other benzodiazepines). These drugs are used to quickly eliminate severe anxiety attacks and panic attacks. The drugs act quickly (within 30 minutes after administration). However, doctors do not recommend using tranquilizers for a long time, as addiction is possible.

Herbal medicine and folk remedies

Herbal medicine and some folk recipes are very effective against anxiety neurotic disorder:

• mint with lemon balm. Another good way to get rid of the problem. Take 50 g of crushed mint and lemon balm leaves. Pour half a liter of boiling water. We don’t touch it for half an hour to let it brew. Then we filter and consume in small portions;
• peony tincture. It is sold at the pharmacy. We drink 30–40 drops three times a day for one month;
• valerian. Helps well with anxiety neurosis. Take one tablespoon of plant root (crushed). Pour a glass of boiling water and leave overnight. In the morning, strain it thoroughly, drink about two tablespoons a day.

A bath with valerian is also very useful. We prepare it like this:

1. Take 60 grams of plant root and put it in a saucepan.
2. Fill with water and boil for 20 minutes.
3. We do not touch it for an hour to allow the product to infuse.
4. Then we filter it and pour it into the bathroom (of course, first heat the water in it).

We take a bath for 20 minutes.

Neurosis and depression - what are the differences?

As you know, a person’s entire life depends on his psychological state, therefore, success in his career, health and relationships with people. Therefore, if you or your loved ones exhibit symptoms of depression or neurosis, it is necessary to contact specialists as soon as possible, since these ailments cannot be ignored in order not to harm your own future. Neurosis is a broad concept that is a group of mental disorders accompanied by a variety of symptoms and causes. However, scientists have found that neurosis is characterized by a depressed and anxious state, which can be caused by exhaustion of the nervous system.

Depression is a common mental disorder characterized by a lack of joy and negative judgments. Sometimes a person may lose interest in life. However, most people believe that depression is not a disease that needs to be treated, but a person’s normal bad mood. However, scientists argue that this judgment is erroneous because many people suffer from depression in some cases can lead to detrimental consequences. Therefore, it is necessary to treat this disease by competent specialists. It is known that neurosis and depression often accompany each other, causing depressive neurosis. It is important to remember that neurosis is a nervous and anxious state that is caused by external factors, and depression is a condition that is caused by internal mental causes. Signs of these ailments can be complex internal ailments, physiological and psychological problems or processes. Often in the female body, these diseases manifest themselves due to hormonal imbalance. And the first symptom may be the presence of paranoia or schizophrenia.

Physical, psychological and behavioral symptoms

1. Sleep disturbances, which can be expressed in the form of insomnia or short sleep after which a person feels tired;
2. Without a reason, pain and heaviness in the abdominal area, which are accompanied by abnormalities in the functioning of the stomach;
3. Headaches accompanied by migraines, as well as increased sweating, nervous tics;
4. Panic attacks;
5. Pain in the heart area during which tachycardia may develop;
6. Anxious, depressed or tearful mood;
7. Constant feeling of guilt;
8. The emergence or exacerbation of phobias;
9. Decreased attention or slow thinking;
10. Deep pessimistic reasoning and sudden mood swings, often showing a strong reaction to stressful situations.

Causes of depressive neuroses:

1. Traumatic events such as moving or losing a loved one;
2. Tense situation at work or in the family;
3. Workaholism;
4. Unsettlement, which can be domestic or personal.
5. Failure of biorhythms;
6. Mental disorders in the initial stages.

If you or your loved ones have such reasons and or above the symptoms presented, then you need to contact competent and experienced specialists, since this disease can lead to harmful consequences.