Why More Teens Feel Anxious Today | Anxiety Resources for Teens

Teens face modern stressors that might explain the rising cases of anxiety in teens across the country. For example, they are the first generation to navigate their formative years during a global pandemic, which has significantly shifted how they view themselves and the world.

They also live in an age of constantly being in the spotlight, thanks to social media usage and smartphones. A 2023 Pew Research Survey found that 95% of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 now have a smartphone. Of those who do, 96% go on the internet daily.

It is harder to disconnect from others and develop an understanding of privacy when there is a continuous digital connection. A teen’s constant online presence often contributes to the development of anxiety in teens, as it opens them up to risk factors such as cyberbullying, body shaming, and digital harassment.. They can even be at risk of actual danger from predators.

Teens can develop unrealistic expectations about what they should look like, and there is intense pressure to perform socially and academically. They may feel the need to find perfection in everything because their lives are open to scrutiny from family, friends, and people they will never meet.

Understanding Anxiety and Mental Health in Teens

Anxiety refers to persistent and excessive worry and fear. Comprehensive teen anxiety treatment addresses both the mental anguish and the physical symptoms, such as muscle tension and fatigue, that often accompany these disorders

Excessive anxiety in teens can occur in different forms, each with distinct characteristics. Teenagers can experience one or more anxiety disorders.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

This is an umbrella term for intense worry at many levels, such as school, social life, family, or global activity. In many cases, there is little reason for the anxiety.

Social Phobia

Fear of social situations. It covers social anxiety both in person and online.

Panic Disorder or Panic Attacks

Panic attacks involve intense fear and physical discomfort, such as chest pain. Within our teen anxiety rehab program, we teach teens to identify the early warning signs of a panic attack and use grounding techniques to regain a sense of calm and safety.. Not everyone who has a panic attack has panic disorder. The diagnosis requires a series of attacks.

Specific Phobias

Phobias are irrational fears of something specific, such as an object or situation. A person can develop a phobia about anything, but some common ones include spiders, elevators, heights, and dentists.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

Separation anxiety is common in already anxious children, even as they get a little older.  The idea of being away from someone they depend on triggers the anxiety.

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Anxiety Symptoms

The symptoms of anxiety disorders tend to fall into one of three categories: emotional, physical, and behavioral. Understanding these signs is the first step in identifying the right anxiety resources for teens, as each category requires a different set of tools and support strategies to manage effectively:

  • Emotional – Emotions in anxiety disorders might include intense fear, lashing out, or constant worry.
  • Physical – These can become physical symptoms like vomiting, headaches, muscle tension, poor sleep, and fatigue.
  • Behavioral – The behaviors in anxiety disorders can indicate how a teen acts in response to the anxiety, such as refusing to go to school or out with friends, constantly looking for reassurance, or self-medicating with drugs or alcohol. It may also be part of another mental illness, such as bipolar disorder.

These are just some common signs parents or caregivers might see in teens with anxiety disorders. They may have one or more anxiety symptoms, such as panic attacks and lashing out.

What Causes Anxiety Disorders? 

It is not clear why some people develop anxiety. It is likely a combination of factors, and anxiety symptoms like panic attacks may start even in younger children.4 Some factors that might contribute to anxiety disorders include:

  • Genetics – Anxiety disorders can run in families. Certain inherited personality traits, like low self-esteem, can increase the risk.
  • Environment – High-pressure academic settings, stressful life events, and trauma are significant environmental triggers that can exacerbate teenage anxiety, especially during the transition into high school. Bullying, separation from a loved one, illness, or exposure to a traumatic event, such as an accident, are also prevalent factors for anxious teenagers.
  • Medical conditions – They may feel isolated or different because of a medical problem keeping them from everyday school activities, such as diabetes or asthma.
  • Changes in brain activity—The amygdala is the area of the brain that processes fear and anxiety. Some people show increased activity in this area as they develop.
  • Chemical imbalances – Imbalances in key neurotransmitters like norepinephrine can play a role.
  • History of substance abuse disorder – Withdrawal from a chemical substance can contribute to severe anxiety.

There could be multiple factors that lead to one person’s anxiety.

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The Impact of Anxiety Disorders in Children and Self Esteem

Pediatric anxiety disorders can impact normal development and shape how children see themselves as adults. Some ways anxiety disorders can impact the lives of teens include:

  • Academic performance – Teens suffering from anxiety often struggle to concentrate and remember. They may have trouble focusing on tasks. Difficulty concentrating, test anxiety, and low motivation can lead to poor grades and academic performance.
  • Social relationships—Socialization is a necessary part of developing social skills and navigating the complexities of growing up. Lacking this socialization can lead to poor relationships as adults and to social phobias. People may isolate themselves to avoid feeling self-conscious.
  • Overall physical health – Anxiety often triggers physical symptoms that become chronic, like sleep and eating disorders, stomach issues, and migraines. This can contribute to the development of chronic diseases later in life.
  • Mental health – Someone with anxiety has an increased risk of developing mental challenges like depression and drug use.

Anxiety has the potential to make it difficult for teens to thrive and may lead to suicidal thoughts.

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Mental Health Support for Anxious Children

Left untreated, anxiety disorders in teens can lead to serious complications like social anxiety as adults. They can trigger substance abuse, major depressive disorder, and suicidal thoughts. That is why it is essential to consider individualized treatment from specialists in adolescent psychiatry and anxiety resources.

The right treatment approach can help your teen manage their anxious feelings and take control of their thoughts. As a teen anxiety treatment center, Elevate Mental Health takes a multidisciplinary approach to adolescent anxiety treatment, including psychotherapy and medication management if necessary.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy or talk therapy allows an adolescent professional to build a relationship with a teen in treatment using communication. There are two primary approaches when dealing with anxiety.5

CBT for Self-Help and Relaxation Techniques

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) combines two therapeutic approaches: cognitive and behavioral. Through cognitive therapy, our therapists help teens recognize negative thoughts and correct false beliefs that might be creating their anxiety. They can develop thought patterns and negative conclusions about certain situations that trigger the condition. Anxiety can lead them to believe these circumstances can be catastrophic if they continue.

Behavioral therapy is about changing learned behaviors that happen when a teen feels anxiety, allowing them to create a sense of calm instead of panic. The goal is to identify behavioral patterns that make a teenager’s life more difficult.

Behavioral treatment can include relaxation techniques that help modify behaviors, such as those associated with panic attacks. Once a healthy behavior works, reinforcement increases the likelihood that it will continue.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a gold standard treatment for anxiety disorders in children and adults, including generalized anxiety disorder, intense social fear, and panic disorder. CBT is successful in the treatment of other mental disorders, too, like substance abuse and depression. 5

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy is another approach to treating anxiety in young people. Our trained counselors help adolescents confront their fears in a safe and supportive space. As a core component of effective anxiety treatment for young adults, exposure therapy allows individuals to see that it is possible to manage their anxiety without losing control. Exposure allows them to see that it is possible to manage their anxiety and avoid losing control.

Medication Therapy

In some cases, specialized medication may be necessary to manage sever  selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) alongside therapies like CBT to help regulate mood and provide relief. These medications increase serotonin levels in the brain to help regulate mood disorders in anxious children, especially when combined with coping mechanisms like relaxation techniques. Ultimately, it is often a customized combination of these therapies that yields the best results, ensuring that every individual receives a well-rounded and effective adolescent anxiety treatment plan.

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Anxiety in Teens: Seek Professional Help at Elevate Mental Health 

As a specialized treatment center, Elevate Mental Health offers evidence-based approaches to dealing with anxiety and meets the unique needs of teens. If you are ready to help your teen take control of their anxiety, call us today to learn more about the individualized care we offer. Contact us today.