Anxiety In Teens and How To Help Them

Anxiety in teens is on the rise largely due to peer pressure and to do academically well in school. In short, here are the symptoms and how to help a teen with anxiety. Altogether, a panic attack is a sudden and sharp rise in anxiety accompanied by physical symptoms such as racing heart, dizziness, numbness and shortness of breath. The physical symptoms are an adaptive response to the perception of being in acute danger. However, they can unfortunately arise under everyday stress, such as when a teen has to take a daunting test. What can you do in helping your anxious teen cope with anxiety?

All things considered, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorder in the United States, and anywhere from 1 in 10 to 1 in 13 people suffer from anxiety, with about 8% of children and teenagers experiencing an anxiety disorder. Consequently, this has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are living in more times of stress and anxiety than ever before. The teenage years generally have significant stress and this has worsened during the pandemic.

“Forever is composed of now’s.” — Emily Dickinson

Signs/Symptoms of Anxiety in Teens

Therefore, signs and symptoms of anxiety in a teenager may include the following:

feeling constantly agitated, tense, or restless
being sensitive to criticism or extremely self-conscious
always worrying about things that aren’t likely to happen
avoiding difficult or new situations that make them anxious
being withdrawn
having trouble concentrating and starting or finishing schoolwork
having trouble sleeping
Lastly, changed eating habits

Also, they may also have physical symptoms such as:

a racing heart
feeling dizzy
sweating
shaking
shortness of breath
feeling ‘butterflies’ in their stomach
headaches
lastly, having aches (especially in their neck, shoulders and back)

Anxiety Attacks in Teens

As a matter of fact, panic attacks typically begin in adolescence and can occur with all anxiety disorders. Notably, once panic attacks are experienced, they can lead to Panic Disorder – a persistent concern with experiencing further attacks, worry about the impact of an attack and a resulting change in behavior. So, by improving your teen’s ability to cope with panic, you can potentially prevent the development of a disabling anxiety disorder. Although, if your teen continues to struggle despite your efforts, consider seeking help from a psychologist with expertise in cognitive-behavioral therapy, which has been demonstrated to effectively treat this problem. With support, teens can learn to cope with and reduce their panic attacks.

“You have to be where you are to get where you need to go.” ― Amy Poehler, “Yes Please”

Social Anxiety in Teens

All in all, there are certain factors that can increase a person’s likelihood of developing SAD including genetics, brain chemistry, and/or trauma. Basically, this means those who have first-degree family history, chemical imbalances in the brain, or have experienced long-term stress or trauma may have an increased risk of being diagnosed with social anxiety disorder.

Also, social anxiety disorder tends to emerge in adolescence and because of this trend, mental health professionals have explored additional risk factors for this younger population.

Demeanor – therefore, a child who is inherently shy, withdrawn, and/or apprehensive to try new things may be at an increased risk for the development of social anxiety disorder as they enter into the adolescent and teenager years.

Health or Physical Issues – basically, if a teen has any sort of health or physical problem that is noticeable to others (like a physical deformity, large scar, birthmark, etc.) they may be more prone to suffering from social anxiety.

Speech Problems – hence, having a speech impediment can be challenging for many reasons, and can negatively affect a person’s confidence and self-esteem. This is especially true with teenagers. Another key point, low self-esteem often impacts a teen’s willingness to put themselves “out there” in social situations. Unfortunately, the more time a teen (or anyone) spends alone and isolated, the harder it becomes to re-engage with others.

Being bullied – bullying is unfortunately a very prevalent occurrence in schools and on the Internet. Being bullied can affect many areas of a person’s life, including social relationships.

“The soul is stronger than its surroundings.” — William James

Managing Teenage Anxiety

 Self Help for Teenage Anxiety

Instead of avoiding things that prompt anxiety, it’s better to face them. You might be surprised by what you can do. Subsequently, here are five things that can help you through anxious moments:

Start with a ‘growth’ mindset. brain science has shown that you can teach your brain new ways to respond. As a matter of fact, people with a growth mindset know this. They know they can get better at just about everything — with effort and practice. That includes reducing anxiety.

Notice how anxiety affects your body. When you’re anxious, do you feel “butterflies” in your stomach? Sweaty palms? Shaky hands? A faster heartbeat? Tight muscles?

Breathe. When you feel anxious, take a few slow breaths. Breathe in slowly. Be sure to breathe out all the way. You can use your fingers to count four or five breaths, in and out.

Talk yourself through it. When you’re anxious, you might tell yourself things like, “I can’t do this!” or, “What if I mess this up?” or, “This is overwhelming.” Instead, plan to tell yourself something that could help you face the moment with a bit of courage like, “I can do this!” or, “It’s OK to feel anxious. I can do this anyway.”

Face the situation — don’t wait for anxiety to go away. Hence, you might think that you’ll put off speaking in class or talking to that new person until you no longer feel anxious about it. But it doesn’t work that way. It’s facing the anxiety that helps you lower it.

 Medication

Antidepressants. At the present time, the most common types used to treat anxiety in teens are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Generally, these medicines increase the level of certain chemicals in your brain that can affect your mood. It can often take a long time to treat anxiety with antidepressants. Therefore, it might take several weeks for the medicine to take effect.

Benzodiazepines, also known as sedatives, increase the calming effect of certain chemicals in your brain and nervous system. Furthermore, this usually reduces anxiety and promotes sleep. Benzodiazepines can be helpful for short-term treatment of anxiety and insomnia. However, they can have serious effects, including addiction, if used for longer than a few weeks. Take them only as prescribed by your doctor.

Beta-blockers – beta-blockers, such as Propranolol, can help to reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety. Therefore, these can be useful in specific situations, like helping you to perform or speak in public if this is something that usually makes you anxious

Anxiolytics – for the short-term relief of anxiety, anxiolytics such as Diazepam can be useful. However, these are addictive and shouldn’t be used long-term.

 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Overall, CBT, to help teens with anxiety, is based on the idea that the anxiety develops and is worsened by negative thought patterns. Obviously, these can be deep-rooted and cause you to respond to and evaluate situations in unhealthy ways. Therefore, the aim of CBT is to address the unhealthy thought processes that underpin your anxiety, and look at why they have developed in the first place. Ultimately, this will help you to view situations much more positively.

Nonetheless, treating anxiety with CBT has been found to result in long-lasting benefits and provides you with effective coping mechanisms for the future. Particularly, this means you’ll be able to recognize negative thoughts when they arise and respond to them in a more positive way, instead of remaining anxious.

“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” — Madeleine Albright

Resources

ReachOut.com’s ReachOut Worry Time App can help to control everyday worries and anxieties.
The Brave Program for Teenagers provides teenagers with information and skills to help cope with worries and anxiety.
This Way Up provides digital mental health treatments and online program.

Also, resources and support:

headspace provides information and support for 12 to 25-year-olds. It has information on what to do if you are concerned a young person may have anxiety.
ReachOut has resources to help under 25s and their parents.
Beyond Blue has lots of resources on mental health, and runs online forums. They can also call on 1300 22 4636 or chat online 24/7.
Kids Helpline has information on anxiety and specific information for teens. They can call for support anytime, for any reason on 1800 55 1800. There is also a WebChat service available 24 hours a day.
Also, Lifeline provides crisis support — call 13 11 14 or chat online.

Conclusion

Therefore, parents, anxiety management for teens is to acknowledge your teen’s fears and emotions. Moreover, don’t ignore it or dismiss it by saying, “You have a good life. You shouldn’t worry about that.” For the most part, we need to take their emotions seriously and be ready to listen. Don’t meet them with too many questions, let them talk, and sit in the silence. Also, remind them that other kids are anxious too. Try to avoid labeling our teens with negative labels such as “shy” or “anxious.”

Therefore, start with a level of exposure — slowly working up to the worry, but providing positive reinforcement for tasks and social activities they are worried about. Give your child love and empathy. In essence, make time to talk to your child every day without distractions. Encourage healthy diet, physical activities and good sleep habits. In sum, strong parent-teenager relationships are good for young people’s mental health and is protective. If you need to seek more help, reach out to your pediatrician or trusted psychologist/counselor for additional support. Also, school counselors can also be helpful.