Anxiety in Adolescents
Adolescent anxiety is on the rise, with one in every three adolescents experiencing an anxiety disorder. One in every four to five adolescents has anxiety that causes a severe disability in their life. Anxiety is a normal part of life; however, for some adolescents it becomes a chronic state that interferes with daily functioning or their ability to attend school. As parents, we desire the best for our children and want them to be emotionally equipped when faced with difficult emotions, but sometimes this is easier said than done, as most parents have their share of life’s demands and responsibilities.
Being an adolescent in today’s world can be a scary thing! Some adolescents may experience a tremendous pressure to succeed or to attend a prestigious college. Others may experience fear due to terrorist attacks or school shootings and struggle to feel safe in their school environments. Many are also immersed in social media and may experience online bullying, comparing themselves to others, or may have toxic relationships via social media.
Erik Erikson theorized that adolescents ages 12 through 18 experience the stage of development called “identity versus role confusion.” He believed that during this stage, adolescents explore their sense of self and work towards independence. He believed that one of the most important events during this stage is social relationships, as adolescents learn to figure out how they fit into society. He also believed that this stage helps an adolescent create their sense of direction in their life.
The pandemic and ensuing lockdown were devastating for many adolescents due to the social isolation. Much of what they are focused on is connected to schooling (social life, sports, academics, etc.). Post lockdown, many adolescents had trouble returning to school due to social anxiety. This is not necessarily due to school related issues, but mostly due to the fear/anxiety/stress regarding re-integrating and socializing with peers. It is important to assist adolescents with finding the “why” behind the school refusal in order to treat the root problem.
Anxiety in adolescents can look different than anxiety in children. Due to different stages of development, symptoms can present differently. Although it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what causes anxiety in one person to another, there are symptoms that parents can look out for, which could be contributing factors to anxiety in an adolescent.
Anxiety in adolescents can appear in different forms and is not always apparent. Some signs to look out for are:
- Perfectionism
- Constant worry
- Fear of failure
- Social anxiety and/or withdrawal from peers or social activities
- Panic attacks
- Irritability and/or lashing out at others
- Difficulty focusing/concentrating and/or poor school performance
- Stomach pain/headaches
- Nervousness
- Restlessness
- Extreme stress
- Muscle tension
- Cramps
- Fatigue
- Startle easily
- Feel flushed
- Hyperventilate
- Appear extremely shy
- Sleep problems
- Seeking constant reassurance
- Substance abuse
An anxious lifestyle can often lead to feelings of depression, especially for adolescents who isolate due to their anxiety. The anxiety can cause an adolescent to be in severe distress or have such a limiting lifestyle, that then can turn into symptoms of depression or sadness. Also, it is possible that anxiety and depression could also be completely separate. Therapy can help an adolescent to understand if the anxiety is causing the depression, or if the depression was there to begin with.
What Can Parents Do to Help an Anxious Adolescent?
Begin a conversation with your adolescent by asking them to express their feelings about their worries. Listen to your child. Use validation for their feelings and respect. Let them feel heard and understood, even if it does not make sense to you. Adolescence is a very difficult and often traumatic time in itself. They are going through so many changes emotionally and developmentally. It is not easy to be an adolescent, Begin by creating a safe space for them to voice their troubles.
Help your child to trace their anxiety to any specific experiences or situations in order to help them to reduce the overwhelming feelings. Provide reassurance that your child is capable of handling the situation. Remind your child of other times that they were successful in managing their symptoms and had success. Know that setbacks may occur as well and that progress is not always linear.
Provide lots of praise and pride in them (even if it seems they are not listening).
If your child’s symptoms seem to limit your child’s activities, take over their life, or last longer than 6 months, seek professional help. Treatment may require a combination of different approaches or interventions, but will need to be individualized for your child’s specific needs.
Some treatment modalities may include medication provided by a Psychiatrist, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy provided by a therapist, family therapy to include parents in the process, or possibly an outpatient treatment program to provide increased structure and support, especially when school avoidance is involved.
Why ask for help?
There are times when adolescents may not be fully comfortable with discussing certain topics or symptoms with parents. Seeking professional help can assist with understanding if there is possibly an underlying medical condition contributing to anxiety, providing a safe therapeutic space for the adolescent to discuss their symptoms or anything contributing to their symptoms that they are not comfortable sharing with parents. Also, rather than avoiding triggers that cause anxiety, it is important for the adolescent to learn health coping strategies. Each time they meet a small goal, they are building their confidence in themselves that they have the ability to tolerate their difficult emotions.
Seeking help can also assist with symptom reduction, medication management (if needed), identify thought patterns/beliefs contributing to anxiety, prevent further complications associated with severe/chronic anxiety, relieve distress, minimize effects on the adolescent’s social, school and developmental progress, and assist them with returning to school as soon as possible.
References:
https://childmind.org/article/signs-of-anxiety-in-teenagers/
www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/anxiety-in-children-and-teens.htm
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/Anxiety-Disorders.aspx