An anxiety disorder of childhood and adolescence, sometimes considered equivalent to the adult diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Symptoms include multiple unrealistic anxieties concerning the quality of one’s performance in school and in sports, hobbies, money matters, punctuality, health, appearance, or other issues. The patient is tense and unable to relax and has recurrent somatic complaints for which no physical cause can be found.
A type of anxiety disorder in which children worry excessively and needlessly about future events, past behavior, and personal characteristics and competence; they are often self-conscious and require constant reassurance, as about social or academic achievement, though the child is often seen as at least average and often superior. Persistent anxiety and associated tension bring with them physical complaints. The disorder affects boys and girls equally, seems to be found often among elder or only children in affluent families concerned about academic and social achievement, and in severe cases can be incapacitating.