While it is perfectly normal to worry about a big test or a party, adolescents with an anxiety disorder often worry needlessly and nearly constantly. If the anxiety persists, it can begin to interfere with regular daily activities like school or work. According to Penn State Children's Hospital, the sooner the anxiety is treated, the better. The treatments may include psychotherapy, medication, relaxation techniques or cognitive behavioral therapy.
Components
Dr. William Goldman says "anxiety typically has two components: physical sensations (e.g., headache, nausea, sweating), and the emotions of nervousness and fear." Goldman says that an anxiety disorder can affect a teen's decision-making ability, learning and concentration. It may also produce physical symptoms such as high blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea, tingling, weakness and shortness of breath, among other concerns.
Causes
Anxiety disorders are quite common and often run in families. According to the Keep Kids Healthy website, about half of patients with panic disorder have at least one relative affected with an anxiety disorder, and there's a greater chance of an anxiety disorder in parents, children and siblings of a person with an anxiety disorder. The anxiety may be brought on by a combination of internal and external stresses, according to the site. People with anxiety may have an imbalance of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, including norepinephrine, serotonin and GABA.
Warning
Some illnesses can also bring on anxiety, such as cardiovascular disease, lung disease, certain tumors, endocrine disorders such as hyperthyroidism, infections and neurological disease. Therefore it's important to see your physician to rule out certain external causes, according to Keep Kids Healthy.
Types
The main types of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, which brings on symptoms of tension, tiredness, fear, restlessness and inability to make decisions, according to Penn State Children's Hospital. Panic disorder consists of recurrent unexpected panic attacks with extreme worry about having more attacks. People with obsessive compulsive disorder complain of obsessive thoughts and urges or compulsions, which are intense uncontrollable repetitive behaviors or mental acts related to the obsessions. Post traumatic stress disorder is brought on by a traumatic event, which often causes recurrent and intrusive memories of the event, as well as dreams and distress when exposed to situations similar to the event. Social anxiety disorder is also common and produces extreme, disproportionate fear of social situations.
Fresh Insight
According to the Science Daily article "New Insights into Teenagers and Anxiety Disorders," UCLA psychology professor Michelle Craske thinks she has developed a way to tell if a younger person will later develop anxiety and depression. Craske believes that "neuroticism"--the tendency to experience negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, guilt, shame, sadness or anger--is an important way to predict who will suffer from both anxiety and depression. "The researchers report that teenagers who are high in neuroticism appear to become unnecessarily anxious in ways that are out of proportion with actual circumstances," Science Daily states.
