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Kristen Rogers - CNN

       Excessive clinginess to parents can be a sign a child is struggling with an anxiety disorder, experts have said.

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    Anxiety disorders are marked by persistent and excessive worries. While someone with generalized anxiety might worry about various everyday things, someone with social anxiety typically has ‘intense or persistent fears or worries about being judged negatively by other people’, said Rachel Busman, a New York-based clinical psychologist and cognitive and behavioral consultant _______ specialized in anxiety.

      One fifth of children worldwide have anxiety symptoms that are clinically elevated, or worse than what is considered normal, according to a 2011 study.

       Anxiety symptoms can be difficult to spot, but the sooner parents notice signs, the earlier mental health professionals ‘can help parents and kids understand what is happening’, said Dr. Rebecca Baum, a professor of general pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the University of North Carolina.

        Children with anxiety might begin to avoid anxietyinducing situations. This behavior can facilitate a cycle that makes their fears bigger and bigger.