Anxiety Disorders
Teen Anxiety Disorder Treatment
Anxiety Disorders in most people are common and they are quite often a temporary phase that will eventually pass. With teen anxiety disorder, fear and lasting dread are frequently felt in particular situations and can last for extended periods of time. The feelings of fear and dread can become so amplified to the point that it interferes with day to day life and can prevent normal daily living.
What is Teen Anxiety Disorder?
Teen Anxiety Disorder is common and arises in early adolescence. This anxiety causes teens to feel excess fear, worry and nervousness creating an impression of being tense, distracted or continuously on guard. It is a disorder that can easily be overlooked or misdiagnosed leading to other mental health problems later in life. With the correct diagnosis, a teen anxiety disorder can be treated and controlled.
What is Teen Anxiety Disorder?
The symptoms of Teen Anxiety Disorder can start out mild but without recognition or treatment, they can and often does get progressively worse.
The general symptoms of anxiety include:
- Great apprehension;
- Extreme tension or irritability;
- Negative thinking;
- Pounding heartbeat;
- Increased breathing rate;
- Sweaty hands;
- Frequent headaches or tension;
- Regular upset stomach;
- Lack of concentration
- Erratic diet and sleep patterns;
- Feelings of depression or hopelessness; and
- Avoiding people or activities previously enjoyed.
There are 3 common types of teen anxiety disorder
General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Those suffering from GAD spend many hours worrying. This excessive and chronic worrying consumes and distracts from normal activity, disrupting routines and day to day life. Normal daily activities can trigger the obsessive worrying.v
Panic Disorder
A feeling of sudden terror or pending doom occurring without warning could be signs of panic disorder in teens. The panic attacks trigger an increased heart rate, chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness and an upset stomach. Teens will often fear the next panic attack coming on, creating a seemingly unbreakable circle. There may often be a particular situation or set of circumstances that may trigger a panic attack. Understanding the triggers facilitates accurate treatment.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Often termed “Social Phobia”, social anxiety disorder is relatively common in teenagers and is much different from simply being naturally shy or quiet. With social anxiety disorder, a teenager will experience fear with others, often being worried that they may say or do the wrong thing or look out of place. This disorder causes teens to withdraw from social or group settings that affect them in a variety of ways, sometimes creating other phobias or disorders.
Treatment of mood disorders in teens
Treatment for teen anxiety disorder can take the form of either medication or therapy, and sometimes a combination of the two is most effective. Therapy will focus on reducing tension, improving relationships and improving sleep patterns brought on by the disorder. Therapy will always focus on finding the root cause of the problem rather than simply addressing the symptoms, as well as understanding the triggers and why the triggers are so is important. Receiving a full evaluation is important to properly diagnose the disorder and recommend the appropriate course of treatment.
Hillcrest and Teen Mood Disorders
Hillcrest has a qualified and experienced team of professionals to properly and fully evaluate and treat teenagers with mood disorders and the other mental health disorders within this broad category. As a specialist mental health facility, Hillcrest provides individualized programs designed specifically for teenagers, all delivered in calm and relaxed atmosphere. The Hillcrest team treats each case individually to ensure the very best results focused on long term recovery rather than simply a short term or quick fix. Together, we can help your teenager get through this period and become
