You are more likely to experience problems with severe anxiety than any other mental health issue. That’s true for adults, but it’s also true for teenagers. Research shows that levels of severe adolescent anxiety are on the rise across America. How do you help your teen with anxiety? Mental health treatment programs for teens can support your child’s recovery from an anxiety disorder. You can also help your child by recognizing potential symptoms and seeking appropriate care options. Contact Imagine Fort Collins today at 888.291.2309 to learn more about how to help your teen with anxiety and how our anxiety treatment for teens in Colorado can help.
What Is Anxiety?
Everyone knows what it’s like to feel anxious. This natural stress response occurs when you worry about things that have yet to happen. It can make you feel uneasy or fearful. It can also make you dread what comes next or farther into the future.
As you reach adulthood, your ability to handle anxiety typically grows stronger. But during adolescence, your child hasn’t yet finished developing the higher faculties that help control anxiety. As a result, they may feel anxious in situations where you may not. In addition, they may feel more significant anxiety when you also feel anxious.
Severe anxiety arises when your anxious feelings outstrip your coping skills. When this happens, you start to lose your ability to function well in everyday life. This loss of function may lead to an anxiety disorder diagnosis for you or your teenager. Diagnoses that fall into this category include:
- Panic disorder
- Social anxiety disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Specific phobia
Each condition is defined by life-disrupting anxiety in certain predictable or unpredictable situations.
How to Help Your Teen with Anxiety—Understanding the Pressures on Your Child
When considering how to help with anxiety, it’s essential to consider why your child might feel anxious. Today, the typical teen must deal with multiple pressures that can work to increase their anxiety levels. Specific everyday pressures include:
- Frequent or even constant exposure to negative influences on social media
- A world full of modern-day dangers, such as school shootings and random assaults
- Increasing academic pressure and school workloads
- Year-round involvement in multiple kinds of after-school activities
Awareness of these stresses may give you a more accurate picture of your child’s day-to-day life. It can also alert you to the potential presence of severe anxiety.
Recognizing the Potential Need for Anxiety Treatment for Teens
Another critical factor in helping your child is learning the signs of rising anxiety levels. These signs may point to a current need for anxiety treatment. They may also fall short of such an immediate need. In either case, awareness of what to look for is crucial.
Your child affected by rising anxiety may repeatedly worry about things they do every day. They may also find it hard to concentrate or fall asleep. In addition, they may seem unusually sensitive or irritable.
Declining grades are pretty common in teens affected by anxiety. Your child may also start avoiding social contact or develop unexplained, recurring aches and pains. In addition, some teens turn to alcohol or drugs to control or escape their anxious feelings.
Reach Out to Imagine Fort Collins to Learn How to Help Your Teen with Anxiety
Anxiety is a fact of life for the typical American teenager. Your child may cope well with their everyday feelings of anxiousness. However, they may also have trouble coping. Want to know more about how to help with anxiety? Talk to the professionals at Imagine Fort Collins.
At Imagine, we specialize in mental health solutions for teenagers. Our anxiety treatment for teens is customized for your child’s age and their specific situation. To enroll or get answers to your questions, contact our team today at 888.291.2309 or reach out online.