Teens Anxiety

The research on mental illness shows that anxiety disorders are quite common. For example, adults with one or more anxiety disorder are the largest group of mentally ill persons in this country. Furthermore, an estimated 30 million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders, including children.

The onset of adult anxiety disorders frequently occurs during childhood. About half the affected adults develop anxiety before age 15, which indicates there may be as many as 15 million American children with anxiety disorders.

We now understand that substance abuse and mental disorders, both in children and adults, often co-exist and make each disorder more serious and more difficult to treat. We also recognize that suicide by children is on the rise and that children who do commit suicide often have treatable mental illnesses, including anxiety disorders.

The need for early detection and effective treatment of anxiety disorders is obvious. There are ways to ease the needless suffering of these children, thereby preventing the growth of developmental or educational deficits, poor self-esteem and social disability. There is also a high probability that much adult disability and suffering is preventable if the problem is recognized and treated before the illness can entrench itself and become chronic.

Given this information, it is especially prudent and important to focus attention on the anxiety disorders of childhood. The purpose of this publication is to provide information about the causes, effects, treatment and management of childhood anxiety disorders, including ways to identify these children. We hope that the information outlined in the following pages will furnish readers with a more complete understanding of how to help children who may be suffering from anxiety disorders, and prevent these problems from continuing into adulthood.