Anxious and stressful thoughts are no longer part of adulthood but also have become common for many teenagers. The report presented by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) states that about a third of adolescents aged between 13 and 18 are diagnosed with a form of anxiety disorder.

As a parent, you might find teenage anxiety a difficult topic to discuss. However, avoiding it will not make any difference. Instead, you should have the ability to pinpoint the anxiety attacks symptoms in your teenage kid and provide them with the necessary support.

Going through this article, you can take a closer look at the causes and symptoms of teenage anxiety, its diagnosis, treatment options, and remedial strategies. 

What Causes Anxiety in Teenagers?

A combination of biological, environmental, and social factors causes different types of anxiety disorders in kids. The following are some common reasons why adolescents become anxious and depressed:

• Genetics: Teenagers with a family history of anxiety disorders might be susceptible to developing them.
• Environment: Children living in stressful social, school, or home environments can have poor mental health. For instance, a broken family, poverty, or being bullied are some difficulties that might contribute to teenage anxiety feeling.
• Childhood trauma: Adolescents with a childhood history of trauma like violence, accident, or sexual abuse might be more anxious.
• Substance misuse: Alcohol and drug misuse at an early age can majorly affect kids’ moods and lead to anxiety or even depression.
• Performance pressure: A lot of stress and anxiety in teens is geared towards performance pressure or perfection. 
• Negative thought pattern: Teenagers having continuous exposure to negative thinking, be it from their parents or friends, might start viewing the world negatively and, thus, develop anxiety.

Knowing the Teenage Anxiety Symptoms 

Usually, parents find it difficult to differentiate between normal adolescent behaviour and the one that might indicate stress or anxiety. Below are some common signs of anxiety in teenagers:

• Recurring worries and fears about routine parts of their daily life
• Finding it difficult to concentrate on something
• Sleeping too much or too little
• They constantly feel tired
• They lose interest in things they previously enjoyed
• Avoiding social gatherings and preferring being alone
• Irritability
• Dieting excessively
• Avoiding facing difficult situations
• Engaging in self-harm behaviours
• Feeling deep sadness or hopelessness
• Chronic complaints about headaches, muscle pain, or stomachaches
• Seeking reassurance repeatedly
• Misusing drugs and alcohol
• A sudden drop in grades

Remember that Anxiety symptoms in women or older men can vary from teenagers, and so do diagnosis and coping strategies.

Teenage Anxiety Diagnosis

Certain medical conditions like substance use disorders can mimic anxiety signs. So, it’s advisable to take your teenage kid to a healthcare professional for a full clinical diagnosis. 

Your medical expert will do the teenager’s physical and psychological examination. They might look for physical anxiety depression symptoms via physical evaluation. During psychological evaluation, they will ask your adolescent child a series of questions about their thoughts, behaviours, or moods. 

In addition, they will ask you about your kid’s family history, school performance, and peer relationships to better understand his mental and overall health state.

Treatment and Remedies for Teenage Anxiety

Depending on your teenage child’s anxiety symptoms and severity, he might need medical attention or can be treated following anxiety management remedies or their combination:

Medical treatment for teenage anxiety 

After diagnosing your teenager’s mental health condition, a medical professional might suggest psychotherapy, medication, or both as anxiety solutions.

• Psychological therapy: You can enrol your child in different types of psychological therapies adapted specifically for teenagers. These therapies might include cognitive behavioural therapy, play therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, or family therapy.
• Medication: Healthcare experts rarely recommend medicines for teenagers suffering from anxiety. But if they have to, psychologists prescribe antidepressants to correct the chemical imbalance in your child’s brain. 

Remedies for teenage anxiety

If a teen child shows minor anxiety symptoms, he might get some relief from the following remedies:

• Exercising and staying active: One of the best and most effective ways for teenagers to stop anxious thoughts is by indulging in any sports activity or working out regularly. The key here is to focus on the body and fitness rather than the mind to relieve anxiety. 
• Maintaining a regular sleep cycle: Sleeping properly for at least 7-8 hours a day can help calm teenagers’ minds while promoting restfulness and alleviating negative thoughts. 
• Eating healthy: Adding healthy foods and supplements to your teenager’s diet can contribute majorly to relieving his anxiousness by balancing out anxiety-causing chemicals. Have your children eat foods like leafy green vegetables, fresh fruits, wholegrain cereals, multivitamin supplements, and low-fat dairy products.
• Being socially active: If your kid experiences social anxiety and refrains from attending any gathering, motivate him to spend time with his friends and family. Actively socializing can help adolescents relieve stress, break free of negative thoughts, encourage feelings of togetherness and laughter, and alleviate feelings of loneliness.
• Reducing caffeine intake: Increased caffeine intake can trigger stress-causing chemicals in the body. So, limit your teenage kid’s caffeine intake. In addition, see to it they are not involved in the alcohol or drugs misuse.
• Practising mindfulness: Mindfulness involves practices like breathing, meditation, or yoga that anchor a person to the present moment. Practising meditation and breathing techniques consistently, even for short periods, can help brighten the mood and decrease anxiety symptoms.

Teenagers can also follow these remedies in addition to their talk therapy or drug treatments. 

Wrapping up!

Nowadays, teens tend to be anxious about almost everything, from their bodies and performance to people around them and the future. Although anxiety feeling is unavoidable, being chronically anxious can take a toll on your teenage kid’s health.