by Katarzyna Radzka

Created on: September 10, 2010

Teens face some of the highest amounts of anxiety. Adults don’t often take their teens anxiety seriously as they don’t understand how someone so young can have any problems. The truth is that teens often have more troubles than they are willing to share with their parents. Sometimes it’s out of embarrassment, sometimes out of fear, and sometimes simply because they don’t want to aggravate the issue by talking about it. There are many reasons for anxiety disorders in teens.

Worries about grades and exams often cause anxiety in teens. This is the most obvious reason for the amount of stress they feel. School is the most important part of their life and if they feel pressure from parents, teachers and friends to achieve high results, this can lead to even higher levels of anxiety. Teens need to know that as long as they do their best that’s all that matters. They shouldn’t judge themselves by their academic achievements but by their behavior and attitude.

Boys, boys, boys. Parents don’t want to think that their teens are getting involved in relationships at such a young age but the fact is that nowadays it happens more often than it doesn’t. Teens worry about how they are perceived by members of the opposite sex. They have crushes that aren’t always realized and this causes them to feel anxious. It may seem trivial to parents but to teens it’s their life.

Friendships can also make teens feel anxious from time to time. Teens make and break many friendships during this part of their lives. Losing friends can cause anxiety disorders because they aren’t sure whether they are accepted or liked by the group. Fights can break out for little reason which isn’t often understood by parents. Telling teens that everything will workout out fine or it won’t matter in a decade won’t help things at all.

An unstable family home life can also be a reason for anxiety in teens. Relationship problems with parents or siblings, financial issues in the family, as well as fights and arguments can cause severe anxiety disorders in teens. Teenagers need a stable environment to grow up in and feel safe. The more stressful home life is, the harder it’s going to be to prevent anxiety disorders.

Anxiety disorders in teens can not be avoided. Nowadays there is more and more stress and responsibility placed on teens and it can become difficult for them to keep everything under control. Patience, understanding and support is what they need from their parents to ease anxiety.

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