What it is:
Teen anxiety is a cognitive, emotional, and physiological experience that involves predicting or focusing on a possible negative outcome. Anxiety in adolescents may include fears or worries about how a person behaved in a past situation (e.g., social anxiety) and what this might mean for them in the future. The experience of anxiety in teens can include thoughts (e.g., “I’m going to screw this up”, “I can’t do this”), behaviors (e.g., avoidance, excessive reassurance seeking), and physiological arousal (e.g., racing heart rate, a panic attack).
Adolescents with anxiety often struggle with unfamiliar, unknown, uncertain or unplanned experiences and may adopt coping mechanisms that get in the way of their everyday lives (e.g., social isolation, avoidance of anxiety triggers, or over-controlling/over-planning their lives to reduce uncertainty). While most people experience anxiety or related emotions (e.g., fear) in response to threatening or stressful situations, teens that develop anxiety disorders tend to have a few things in common:
- Experiencing anxiety, worry, or fear more often or intensely than their peers
- A belief that they can’t tolerate the physical sensations associated with anxiety (e.g., heart racing, difficulty breathing, feeling dizzy)
- Attempts to avoid or reduce anxiety that actually make anxiety worse over time (e.g., avoiding stressful situations)
In adolescents, anxiety often manifests as school avoidance, repeatedly asking questions or seeking reassurance, requiring assistance with tasks in ways that are inconsistent with their developmental stage, having difficulty being apart from caregivers, or having considerable difficulty accepting changes in schedules, living arrangements, or expectations.
Some teens with anxiety present looking more irritable or depressed than anxious, which can result in anxiety being missed as a concern to treat. It is important to properly assess adolescents using substances or displaying defiant, withdrawn, or highly agitated behavior for an underlying concern with anxiety.
Does This Sound Familiar?
- My teen seems overwhelmed, stressed, or tense most of the time.
- My teen gets overly anxious or nervous about routine daily activities.
- My teen refuses to try new things.
- My teen avoids or refuses to go to school.
- My teen complains about stomach aches, nausea, or headaches that do not seem to be from other medical causes.
- My teen is often restless or unable to relax.
- My teen has difficulty concentrating, avoids tasks, or procrastinates a lot.
- My teen has problems falling or staying asleep.
- My teen gets angry or irritable often.
- My teen frequently seeks reassurance from parents or peers.
- My teen has panic attacks or panic symptoms (e.g., difficulty breathing).
Associated Concerns:
Teen anxiety and stress concerns often co-occur with symptoms of depression, insomnia or other sleep problems, and physical health concerns that can be exacerbated by anxiety (e.g., gastro-intestinal concerns, chronic pain conditions).
Substance use can occur if teens attempt to use substances to reduce anxiety in difficult situations.
Caregivers of anxious teens often experience difficulties in parenting or communicating with their teen and, at times, the teen’s anxiety can be disruptive to overall family functioning.
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