Parents Miss Teen's Anxiety: Weight Loss, Fainting Mistaken for Picky Eating

• A 13-year-old Gurugram boy, Shaurya, collapsed at school due to a severe anxiety attack, later diagnosed as Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
• His parents initially dismissed his weight loss, reduced appetite, and fatigue as typical teenage fussiness and mood swings.
• The WHO estimates 1 in 7 adolescents aged 10-19 experience a mental disorder, with anxiety and depression being leading causes of illness.
• Dr. Astik Joshi highlights that anxiety disorders are being diagnosed in younger children more frequently, indicating increased environmental stressors.
• Shaurya's case revealed how easily childhood anxiety can hide behind normality, often manifesting through physical symptoms and quiet compliance rather than overt emotional distress, especially in homes with chronic conflict.

Why It Matters: Childhood anxiety often manifests subtly through physical symptoms and quiet compliance, easily overlooked by parents.