As parents, it’s understandable that we want the best for our children. We want them to thrive, be happy, and excel in everything they do. But sometimes, trying to help your child yourself isn’t enough.
There are times when it can be more than just normal anxiety, and during those times, it’s important to seek medical advice. If you feel that you and your teen may be at a point in time where medical advice is needed, here are just a few things to consider.
Why are so many teens suffering from anxiety?
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, anxiety is the most common mental health disorder in the United States. Anywhere from 1 in 10 to 1 in 13 people suffer from anxiety, with about 8% of children and teenagers experiencing an anxiety disorder.
But why is this mental health disorder is so common? The truth is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as anxiety can have many different causes and can manifest differently in different individuals. However, many factors contribute to anxiety in teenagers:
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Social media: Social media can create pressure for teens to present a certain image or persona online, which can lead to anxiety and a fear of not measuring up. It can also expose them to cyberbullying, which can be a significant source of stress and anxiety.
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Academic pressure: Teens today face significant pressure to succeed academically, whether it’s getting good grades, preparing for standardized tests, or getting into a good college. This pressure can lead to high levels of stress and anxiety.
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Uncertain future: Many teens today face an uncertain future, with concerns about job prospects, the economy, and the state of the world. This chaos can lead to feelings of anxiety and hopelessness.
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Family issues: Teens may face stress and anxiety related to family issues such as divorce, parental conflict, financial struggles, or other problems at home.
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Hormonal changes: Hormonal changes during puberty can contribute to mood swings and anxiety in some teens and tweens.
It’s important to note that anxiety is a complex issue, and the causes can vary from person to person. What can be a mild symptom in one teenager could be a red flag for another.
What are some symptoms of teen anxiety?
Johns Hopkins Medicine says that parents should watch for the following symptoms of teen anxiety:
- worrying excessively
- feeling irritable/nervous
- feeling restless, wound-up, on edge
- being easily fatigued
- having difficulty concentrating, and/or mind going blank
- having sleep problems
- experiencing muscle tension, headaches, stomachaches, and pain.
Related: Seven Strategies for Helping Your Teen Cope with Test Anxiety
What can parents do if they think their child might be anxious?
United HealthCare offers six helpful tips to parents of children showing signs of anxiety. These suggestions range from smaller changes in the home environment to seeking professional help and are as follows:
1. Scale down your teen’s schedule. This will help them feel less overwhelmed and have more time to rest, recover, and cope better with the pressures they are under.
2. Help them gain a sense of control over their lives. For example, organizing their room, school supplies, backpack, and homework area, as well as ensuring they are eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and getting enough exercise, are all helpful ways to cope with symptoms of anxiety.
3. Set limits and boundaries on screen time. Parents can set a “turn off” time at night, set daily limits, and ensure that devices are charged outside of their teen’s bedroom.
4. Be available so that if and when your teen wants to talk, you’re there. They may not be able to articulate exactly what they are feeling, but just talking it out with you might be exactly what your teen needs to release some of the overwhelming thoughts in their mind.
5. Know the signs of anxiety. This disorder manifests itself in many different ways, but if your child is showing common symptoms like lack of sleep and stomach aches, and they don’t want to leave the house anymore, those should all be red flags that they might be dealing with anxiety.
6. Seek professional help for your teen. There are many types of treatments out there, from cognitive behavioral therapy to medication, so if you think your child would benefit from seeing someone, don’t hesitate to begin that process.
If you’re interested in having your teen talk to someone, but don’t know where to start, we recommend TalkSpace. TalkSpace offers online therapy via licensed professionals who specialize in working with adolescents. Check them out here.
How to know the difference between typical anxious behavior and when to consult a professional
If your teen becomes extremely closed off and refuses to communicate, it may be time to seek medical advice.
Anxiety can take on many different forms. If your teen starts to completely transform into someone you can’t talk to or don’t even recognize anymore, it may be time to seek outside help from a professional. Anxiety can happen to all of us, but when it overtakes and changes who you are, that can be a big signal that medical advice is needed.
If your teen starts talking about hurting themselves physically, or you’ve noticed that they are hurting themselves physically already, it’s time to seek medical advice.
Any time that anxiety takes a turn for the worse and causes your teen to start engaging in physical harm, it’s time to act quickly. Thinking that you have control of the situation isn’t always the best route. Your teen may be able to connect and learn better from an outside professional. While that may seem confusing to you at the time, just remember that everything that you are trying to do for your teen is with the intent of doing what is best for them.
Seeking outside guidance and advice if your teen’s anxiety is starting to link with depression is essential.
Related: Tips and Skills that Will Make a Teen’s Anxiety Less Powerful in Their Lives
If your teen refuses to leave the house or has lost interest in social outings that they used to love, it may be time to seek medical advice.
Keeping a close eye on your teen is important when they have shown signs of anxiety. You’ll want to make certain that you are monitoring how active or inactive they are becoming. Anxiety doesn’t have to stop your teen from doing the things that they love doing. But, if it starts to become severe enough, it will.
Anxiety can be overcome. It can be beaten. BUT, it takes patience, persistence, and constant work to do so. If your teen starts to shy away and becomes closed off, it’s important to act quickly in seeking medical advice.
By asking for outside help in these situations, you can start to try to alleviate some of these anxiety symptoms and worries for your teen. Truthfully, your teen may actually welcome some outside help. They may view it as a fresh set of eyes and ears from someone outside the household.
If your teen shows any of the signs above, it may be time to seek medical advice. Go with your gut and follow your parental instincts on how to proceed with your child. Don’t worry about what anyone else will think in the outside world. The most crucial aspect of your child having anxiety is finding a way to help them learn how to manage it and, hopefully, overcome it.
Not sure where to go for help? The following link provides many resources to help manage teen mental health issues: Society for Adolescent Mental Health
Parenting teens and tweens is tough—want a little more support?
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When you are in the thick of raising teens and tweens, we recommend Loving Hard When They’re Hard to Love by Whitney Fleming. In Loving Hard When They’re Hard to Love, blogger Whitney Fleming shares her favorite essays about raising three teenagers in today’s chaotic world. Written from the perspective of a fellow parent, each story will leave you with tears in your eyes and hope in your heart because someone else is saying exactly what’s been going through your mind.
Very important information written in this article. I believe clinical anxiety is sometimes misconstrued as teenage angst by some people. And I think it’s important that people know, even though anxiety can be overcome, if it’s not treated it will get worse. And untreated anxiety leads to other problems in people.
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