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Adolescence is a difficult time for many teenagers. Rapid physical changes may make them uncomfortable and unable to accept their bodies. New demands socially may leave them unable to cope with shyness and uneasy with the opposite sex. School also becomes more important at this stage in their lives and they may feel pressured to make decisions about their future that they are not ready to make.
Some teenagers will get through with a minimum of fuss and only a few embarrassing moments. Others, however, find it all too much and withdraw sometimes temporarily until they find their way, sometimes to such an extent that further problems will result if the behavior is not dealt with. Anxiety disorders are estimated to affect about 10% of children and teenagers.
Researchers have found that that more timid a person is as a young child, the more difficult it will be for them to deal with the demands of adolescence. This timidity may be inborn or learnt from a nervous or overly anxious parent. Teenagers who suffered from separation anxiety when younger are more prone to anxiety disorders.
Sometimes, anxiety begins with a change in circumstances like divorce, illness, death of a family member or changing schools.
Signs and Symptoms
The symptoms may be obvious or very subtle. A moody teenager spending hours in his room listening to ear-splitting heavy metal is typical of what we expect from adolescents but there is a fine line between typical and problematic behavior. If the teenager is not doing as well at school or sports as they used to or they are not spending any time with their friends, then the parent or carer should be on the look out for further signs of anxiety disorder.