The condition known as „school phobia” is increasingly common among children of all ages, experts have observed. They are sounding the alarm for parents to pay attention to symptoms, with 16 cases diagnosed in Arad.
Neuropsychiatrist Diana Trifa, from the Arad Pediatric Psychiatry Department, stated on Thursday that „school phobia is a growing phenomenon compared to previous years.”
"The triggering factors are multiple, children completely refuse to enter school and if they do, they refuse to enter the classroom. Sometimes parents stay with them. They are on medication, receive counseling, but the measures taken do not always help.
A warning signal must be raised for parents to pay attention to the child's anxiety states, symptoms generally appear in the morning. Children have stomachaches, feel a lump in their throat, cry…," stated Dr. Diana Trifa.
The head of the Arad County School Inspectorate, Marius Gondor, told AGERPRES that 16 cases are diagnosed in the county, and some of these children are forced to study at home.
"We have children who study at home, over 90, for various reasons. There are children with special educational needs, who have locomotor or neuromotor problems, but we also have children diagnosed with school phobia. At the moment, we have 16 students diagnosed with school phobia who are undergoing treatment or studying at home," said Gondor.
The general school inspector explained that for home schooling, teachers are paid hourly.
School counselor Ana Gavrilă pointed out that the condition can start at any age and emphasized that "the phenomenon is slightly on the rise, unfortunately."
She mentioned that some parents initially refuse to accept the diagnosis and try to find different explanations for the child's behavior, but later collaborate with doctors, and once the treatment is applied, most achieve complete recovery.
Experts believe that there are many students suffering from school phobia, but they are not diagnosed because parents do not consider it a medical issue, but rather one related to children's whims.