by Victoria Tiegert

Created on: November 02, 2009   Last Updated: December 19, 2011

The adolescent years have always been some of the most difficult a person will ever have to go through. It is a time of growth, change, and maturing that can often seem like a whirlwind of confusion and angst. Today's teens have it even harder than many of those in generations past. There have been increases in teen violence, drug and alcohol use, and sexual activity, while there have been decreases in family time, educational funding, and moral absolutes. As a society, we are being faced with the possibility that the youth we are currently raising up are truly at a disadvantage than we were, even with all of the advances that were supposed to give them advantages.

There are more and more teens that are dealing with anxiety disorders, some medically diagnosed and others obvious with or without a doctor's label slapped on it. The symptoms of anxiety disorders are varied and they are numerous. According to Medical News Today, the most common symptoms of anxiety are the following:

Trembling

Churning stomach

Nausea

Diarrhea

Headache

Backache

Heart palpitations

Numbness or "pins and needles" in arms, hands or legs

Sweating/flushing

Restlessness

Easily tired

Trouble concentrating

Irritability

Muscle tension

Frequent urination

Trouble falling or staying asleep

Being easily startled

Obviously, these symptoms would be very difficult to live with, most especially during the adolescent years. There can be many causes of anxiety disorders, more even than the number of symptoms, but there are some that are especially common among teens.

*Peer Pressure and Stress-There is an enormous amount of peer pressure today for teens to involve themselves in activities that they may know are wrong, but have great difficulty saying no to. These are the years that people need to feel the most love and acceptance and if they aren't feeling it, they will be more likely to do things that they don't necessarily feel are right, but that they do feel will allow them to be loved and accepted. Some of these pressures may be to smoke, use narcotics or alcohol, have sex, skip school, shoplift, and a plethora of other things. The teen is then torn between the knowledge that they are not making good choices and that they are finally fitting in with a group of their peers.

*Educational/Academic Stress-Academic stress is very difficult for some teens to deal with, especially if continued education after the high school years are expected of them. High school years are filled with learning, both

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