Anxiety in the Teenage Years

Is your teen excessively worrying? Perhaps their fears are even getting in the way of their everyday functioning? They might have an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety Disorders are actually the most common mental health problemexperienced by young Australians, with anxiety affecting 1 in 5 females and 1 in 10 males aged between 16-24¹.
Learning more and understanding anxiety can help parents evaluate whether their child might have anxiety, and what to do next.

What is Anxiety?

Every single person can get anxious – it’s a normal part of our lives! However it can become problematic when someone becomes so worried about something that happening that it affects their everyday life.

Common Symptoms of Anxiety:

• ongoing worrying and excessive fears
• increased irritability
• difficulty concentra
• Separation anxiety disorder: Extreme fear of being separated
  from a loved one or the home environment.

Risk Factors

The following are a number of risk factors that may increase the likelihood of someone experiencing an anxiety disorder:

• genetic vulnarability – a family history of anxiety
• personality factors, such as your child being highly sensitive
• chronic illnesses, like asthma and diabetes
• overprotective/over controlling parenting style, or negative/critical parenting style
• an ongoing stressful event
• trauma such as grief or abuse
• substance misuse.

What should I look out for in my child?

• Extreme fear or worry about specific situations or everyday life
• Saying their mind is “all over the place”
• Lack of concentration or poor memory
• Avoiding new situations – something that is outside of their comfort zone or what they are used to
• Avoiding social situations, being socially isolated or extremely shy
• Always being nervous
• Chronic tiredness
• Restlessly waking up during the night, unable to sleep

Physical symptoms that may accompany anxiety include:

• Chest pain, rapid heartbeats and sweating
• Shaking
• Shallow breathing and shortness of breath
• Dry mouth, stomach pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
• Insomnia

When should I take action?

If your child experiences any of these symptoms, and if they go on for more than 2 weeks, then it is a good idea to have a chat with your child & seek professional help. Until you seek help, make sure that your child knows you are there to support them by letting them know you are there to talk and that you understand they are going through something difficult.
You could offer your child to go to the GP with them, or perhaps if they feel comfortable then they could go in alone and disucss matters with the GP. The GP may make a referral to a psychologist if they deem is necessary.

References:

¹Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2011. Young Australians: their health and wellbeing 2011. Cat. no. PHE 140 Canberra: AIHWKessler, R. C., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005)