Anxiety in Teens: Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment Options

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders that individuals, including teens, suffer from. In fact, nearly 1/3 of all teens suffer from an anxiety disorder with the problem being more prevalent in girls (38%) than boys (26%).

Due to the serious and debilitating symptoms associated with severe anxiety, it may be best to look into residential treatment programs if your teen is struggling. At Nexus Teen Academy, we offer numerous forms of therapy, medication management, holistic treatment options, and more at our residential mental health treatment facility in Arizona.

If you’re unsure what to do about your son or daughter’s anxiety, call our team today and we can walk you through it and help determine if inpatient treatment is the best option for you.

Teen Anxiety Treatment in Arizona

If you are looking for immediate, professional help for teenage anxiety for your son or daughter, Nexus Teen Academy can assist. We offer anxiety treatment in Arizona at our teen mental health facilities located throughout the Valley.

These 10-bed adolescent anxiety treatment centers utilize individualized treatment plans to ensure that each care program fits the unique needs of your son or daughter. Additionally, our clinical director, therapists, and the rest of our clinical team are experts in teen mental health, including teen anxiety treatment, with decades of combined experience.

At Nexus, we utilize evidence-based therapies like CBT and DBT, as well as holistic therapies like meditation, sound therapy, and equine therapy to provide a comprehensive approach to care. Schedule a call today and get the admissions process started and get your teen into our program.

What is Teen Anxiety?

Teen anxiety is a problem that causes a feeling of fear, panic, and uneasiness. These feelings of anxiousness can come about for many reasons including:

Stress
Academic reasons
Exhaustion
Family problems
Substance abuse
Family history and more

Anxiety disorder can lead to several functional problems that can make it difficult to participate and enjoy day-to-day life. Some of the common issues will include dizziness, panic attacks, shortness of breath, restlessness, and more.

If you are worried that your teen has a serious anxiety problem that is affecting their normal functioning, call our team at Nexus Teen Academy today.

Causes of Teen Anxiety

While causes of anxiety can often depend entirely on the type of anxiety that an individual is struggling with, there are also a few other things to be aware of.

Gender: Anxiety is much more common in females than males.

Financial Situation: There is a correlation between low household income and anxiety disorders.

Genetics: Family genetics do play a part in the development of anxiety. Children with parents that have at least one anxiety disorder have a substantially higher risk of developing anxiety themselves.

Along with these anxiety risk factors, other causes of anxiety can include:

Chronic stress
Substance abuse
Childhood trauma
Brain chemistry
Grief or loss of a loved one

The causes of anxiety in teens will vary drastically depending on the situation but if you think that your child may be struggling with an anxiety problem, reach out to Nexus Teen Academy today and we can help you with a diagnosis.

Types of Teen Anxiety

There are many types of teen anxiety, some of the most common forms include:

Social Anxiety

Social anxiety disorder in teens is a problem that is characterized by the continued fear of being scrutinized by others, leading many to avoid social interactions. With the online landscape changing over the last few decades, social media has also led to an influence on social anxiety, with people creating unhealthy social comparisons that further drive these anxious symptoms and overall social anxiety in teens.

Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety in adolescence is one of the more common types of anxiety that this age group struggles with. The disorder is caused when an individual is separated from a close attachment figure, such as a parent or sibling. It is estimated that 8% of adolescents deal with separation anxiety.

Phobias

Phobias are a type of mental health disorder characterized by extreme fear of something specific that likely poses little actual danger. Some of the most common phobias include fear of public speaking and fear of social interactions, which also have been shown to cause other phobias, leading to a vicious cycle of symptoms.

Anxiety Symptoms in Teens

Similar to the causes of anxiety, anxiety in adolescence symptoms will also vary depending on the type of anxiety they are struggling with.

Physical Symptoms of Anxiety

Racing heart
Sweating
Chest pain
Trembling
Stomachaches

Behavioral Symptoms of Anxiety

Fatigue
Self-consciousness
Difficulty making eye content
Irritability
Difficulty concentrating

Most importantly, those with anxiety will struggle with irrational fears and worries that will impact their daily lives, making it difficult to focus on things like family, school, social interactions, and more.

It is also important to note that feelings of anxiety can also lead to other problems such as suicidal ideation, depression, or substance abuse to cope with these feelings. If your teen is struggling with anxiety, it can quickly lead to more severe problems.

Don’t wait, contact our team at Nexus and learn more about how a personalized treatment plan can help.

Teen Anxiety Treatment

While the symptoms and issues related to anxiety can be worrisome, the good news is that anxiety is a treatable disorder. However, less than 60% of teens who have an anxiety disorder receive treatment. It is vital to seek out a treatment program if you believe your child has an anxiety disorder. Otherwise, the condition can lead to other problems or impact their adult life as well.

When it comes to anxiety treatment for teens, there are several options available.

Teen Anxiety Therapy

Numerous types of therapy are effective in helping with teen anxiety and comorbidities. But, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the best evidence-based forms of treatment for anxiety.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is another great form of counseling that has been shown to have profound effects on teens struggling with anxiety. It uses mindfulness exercises and goal setting to help reduce general discomfort and anxiety symptoms.

Other types of counseling that can help include motivational interviewing, dialectical behavior therapy, and more.

Anxiety Medication for Teens

Along with therapy, medication is also a route you can look into for teen anxiety treatment. However, it is essential to recognize that medication alone is unlikely to be the sole solution. Anxiety medication works best when coupled with other treatment resources, most importantly, counseling and therapy. That said, some of the most common types of anti-anxiety medications include:

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
Benzodiazepines
Various antidepressants

Anxiety Treatment Center for Teens Teens at Nexus Teen Academy

At Nexus Teen Academy’s teen anxiety treatment center, we work to create personalized treatment plans based on your teen’s specific situation. Oftentimes, anxiety will be a co-occurring disorder with other mental health problems or substance abuse. We ensure that your child will get proper care for all mental and behavioral problems they are struggling with.

Our Teen Anxiety Treatment Program

We utilize evidence-based treatment methods, including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, motivational interviewing, medications, and more, to help with our approach. Along with this, we offer various holistic treatment methods like meditation and mindfulness practices so your teen has access to all forms of treatment.

Nexus also understands the importance of including the family in our process. To help with this, we not only offer family therapy options but a weekly scheduled family time where you can visit with your child while they continue treatment in our program. Led by Clinical Director Hannah Carr, our staff has decades of experience working in the teen mental health and substance abuse space and is ready to help your child.

If you have an anxious teen and are worried that the problem may be severe, contact Nexus today and get the treatment process started.

Private Insurance Plans Accepted

We work with most major insurance providers. You can confidentially check to see if your treatment is covered by insurance. Our admissions experts are here to guide you through the process.

Teen Anxiety FAQs

What Causes Teen Anxiety?

Teen anxiety can be caused by many things, including:

Genetic and hereditary factors
Socioeconomic standing
Academic difficulties
Stress
Other mental health disorders

How Many Teens Have Anxiety?

About 1/3 of teens struggle with some form of anxiety, while almost 10% (5.8 million) children and teens are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

How Do You Help Teens With Anxiety?

For severe problems, A teen residential treatment center may be the best solution for treating anxiety. For mild anxieties, regular counseling coupled with lifestyle changes can help your teen see improvements.