Anxiety is a normal psychological and physiological response in human beings when they experience stress. The word means to feel “vex” or “trouble”. Anxiety may result in feelings of worry, unease, fear and distress – feeling troubled.
Teenage Anxiety
Teenagers, as they grow, tend to feel anxiety a lot. Part of their feelings of anxiety may be driven by the need to fit in with peers, to feel accepted, to achieve academically or in sports, or by thoughts about their future. Some people experience anxiety after an accident, injury, or traumatic event that upsets their emotions. High parental expectations can trigger teenage stress, as does abuse and neglect.
Anxiety also presents as physical symptoms, such as headaches, feeling restless, stomach ache and tension in chest and muscles. Other symptoms may include difficulty remembering, memory confusion and distortion of reality – finding it hard to distinguish between what is real and not real.
Recognising Teenage Anxiety
Teenage anxiety may be recognised by observing the teenager in their experiences and expressions of emotions. Answering some of the following questions may help teenagers identify their anxiety:
l How are you responding or reacting in social situations?
l How do you feel about eating?
l What is your experience of school events like?
l Do you prefer to avoid situations?
l Do you feel that you will fail and not succeed?
l How often do you compare yourself to peers or friends?
l Do you feel inadequate socially, physically, mentally or in yourself?
l Do you enjoy making new friends?
l Do you avoid your friends?
l Do you feel gloomy or a sense of dread?
l Do you need constant reassurance about your achievements to feel accepted?
l Do you complain about not feeling well to avoid school?
l Does your heart beat faster and do you feel like you cannot breathe?
l Do you feel fear or terrified about the future?
l Do you feel confused and unsure of what is real or not real?
Causes of Anxiety
Anxiety is a normal human response when feeling concerned and may be caused by a number of factors within and outside a person’s control. Excessive teenage anxiety may have identifiable causes, such as peer pressure, meeting expectations to achieve, or exposure to recreational drugs and nicotine. As mentioned in the anxiety attacks section, causes of anxiety such as these may fall into the following categories:
Hereditary – panic disorder may be genetic and run in families
l Biological – illness, disease or deficiency
l Phobias – fear of people, objects or situations
l Traumatic life events, such as death or loss
l Stimulants – nicotine, caffeine, drugs, alcohol
l Negative self-talk
l Lack of Assertiveness – high passivity
l Medications or chemical substances – antibiotics, anti-depressants
l Over-breathing or hyperventilation
l Stress expectation to achieve – school, college, university, employment
These causes of anxiety may be present in particular circumstances. Based on the causes and circumstances, a variety of anxiety types can occur.
Anxiety Disorder
When normal feelings of anxiety last for long periods of time or become excessive, people can develop anxiety disorders. Medical professionals distinguish between normal anxiety and excessive anxiety resulting in anxiety disorder by evaluating the reasoning or cause of the anxiety and also how intense the anxiety is experienced.
The amount an anxiety affects a teenager’s normal living and behaviour forms part of consideration when the anxiety becomes an anxiety disorder. Teenagers may be evaluated to determine if they experience anxiety or panic attacks in certain situations.
