Anxious Teens in an Anxious World

It is very unfortunate that so many children and teens experience anxiety at high levels today in the Western World. Anxiety in teens is quite different from anxiety in adults. One of the main differences is that teens often cannot verbalize how they are feeling, leaving professionals trying to help in a position to hunt for clues with their patients (Anonymous, 2018).

Most anxiety is related to the fight or flight response. In this pattern a teenager will feel their heartrate elevate, with some generalized neurological and some specific physical signs. But it is not this simple. Anxiety can form any of several disorders in teens. Phobias, separation anxiety, post-traumatic stress, Panic, Obsessive-Compulsive and Generalized anxiety Disorders. Of these disorders, a teen may experience several at once, making diagnostics more difficult. Diagnostics for children and teens are different from adults in that the child or teen only needs to exhibit one disorder, where adults are usually displaying 3 or more disorders related to anxiety. Left untreated, the teen will evolve into an adult naturally with age but will probably experience adult mental health issues which can be stronger than those felt by a child.

Some symptoms that both adults and teens may experience with anxiety are – trouble sleeping, being tired constantly, lacking focus,  cold sweats, dizziness, panic, chest pains, nausea, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeats (palpitations, for instance), and feelings of restlessness or feeling odd in their own skin, even terror.

The data on Anxiety in teenagers shows that about 31.9% of teens are currently being treated for this in the USA. Whereas only 19% of adults are being treated currently for the same. These numbers are encouraging, as it suggests that parents are identifying problems early and are seeking interventions of therapy and possibly medicines. It is thought that this is a trend which is highly encouraging. Some might see that number and think we are over identifying problems in society. However, knowledge of mental health as a very serious concern is helping teens get more help, faster than their parents did. Teens tend to not have the feelings of inadequacy to handle their emotions and behaviors as an adult might feel. Educators, sociologists, psychologists and people in medicine are much more informed today and thus, more able to identify problems before they get out of hand. The old stigma’s of seeking mental health services are breaking down, leaving younger people a real fighting chance to be informed as to how to take care of their mental health as they grow into adults (Sukholsky, D., Smith, S., McCauley, S., Ibrgim, K., &Piasecka, J. (2016).

Treating teens by therapeutic approaches shows a lot of promise. The most often used are CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and Talk Therapy. These young people learn how to use certain tools to reduce anxiety and to help the brain re-boot with new skills aimed at helping them have more control over their mental health difficulties. Working to increase the effectiveness of coping strategies, these tools may significantly help alleviate struggles with Anxiety. Learning to meditate, finding positive things to do when triggered, developing abilities to recognize a struggle before it gets worse, and  giving teens a way to regulate their emotions better provide life-long learning.

Medicines have  been developed with safer dosing, chemical revisions to make fewer side-effects and the emergence of new products in pharmaceuticals have all come together offering help for adolescents. Careful decisions by medical professionals working with parents and teens are being trained ongoing for mental health identifications and approaches (Safai, Y., Leornard, J., Ames, H. 2018).

Our Westernized world is demanding of both children and teenagers. Educational institutions report that adolescents exhibit some form of mental health difficulties about 83% of the time between the ages of thirteen and nineteen. Of these numbers only 12.9% are considered teens with special needs. Taken apart, this identification is of teens who are working through chemical imbalances, hormone regulation and physical restraints. This is not identifying learning disabilities, behavioral problems or severe physical restraints. The high percentage reported takes in all and any adolescent problems in what is considered the main-stream population of students in schools.

(Watch for articles here concerning how to manage anxiety with adult, teens and children. This is an ongoing area of study for thousands of research psychological programs in the U.S.A.)

References:

Anonymous (2018).  Anxiety: How is it different from kids to adults. National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved from http:www.pyramid-healthcare.com/anxiety-kids-adults

Safai, Y., Leornard, J., Ames, H. (2018). Everything You Need to Know About Anxiety Medications. Retrieved from http:www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323666 on January 09, 2024.

Sukholsky, D., Smith, S., McCauley, S., Ibrgim, K., &Piasecka, J. (2016). Behavioral Interventions for Anger, Irritability, and Aggression in Children and Adolescence. National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology, Information. Retrieved from http:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gove/pmc/articles/PMC4808268