Types of Teen Anxiety: What Arizona Parents Should Know
FACT CHECKED
The Nexus Teen Academy editorial and clinical team is dedicated to providing informative and accurate content to help families who are struggling with adolescent behavioral health problems. The editorial team works directly with the clinical team to ensure information is accurate and up-to-date.
To do this, our team uses the following editorial guidelines:
We generally only cite government and peer-reviewed studies
Scientific claims and data are backed by qualified sources
Content is updated to ensure we are citing the most up-to-date data and information
Clinically reviewed by Executive Director Hannah Carr, LPC
Executive Director Hannah Carr, LPC
Hannah graduated from Arizona State University with her Bachelor’s in Psychology and Master’s in Counseling and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Arizona. She began her work as a therapist 12 years ago in South Phoenix with an intensive outpatient program for teens and their families. She joined Nexus in the residential program as the clinical director, eventually being promoted to the executive director, creating and building the clinical program structure and a strong culture focused on redirecting the trajectory of young lives.
The Nexus Teen Academy Editorial Staff is composed of writers, editors, and clinical reviewers with many years of experience writing about mental health and behavioral health treatment. Our team utilizes peer-reviewed, clinical studies from sources like SAMHSA to ensure we provide the most accurate and current information.
Anxiety disorders are oddly most common among teenagers. But studies show that girls are more likely to experience panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Boys’ anxiety shows on the outside in behaviors like substance abuse and aggression. Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent mental health challenges teenagers face today. Studies also show that about 32% of teens experience anxiety disorder before they become adults. What’s even more captivating is that anxiety affects adolescent girls and boys differently.
At Nexus Teen Academy, we understand different types of teen anxiety your adolescent might be dealing with. As a result, we take a gender-based approach when addressing various types of teen anxiety. Our teen residential treatment center specializes in offering gender-specific treatment and support. We help teens deal with their anxiety disorders more effectively.
Understanding Teen Anxiety
When your teen struggles with anxiety, they may feel worried or afraid most of the time. Such feelings can interfere with their daily functioning. The most common signs and symptoms of teen anxiety include:
Trouble sleeping
Tense muscles
Feeling cranky
Since boys and girls face cultural and social pressures, you must understand and address teen anxiety immediately. Your teenage boy may struggle to fit into the traditional masculine norms. On the other hand, your adolescent girl may feel insecure about their body. They may also struggle with social acceptance.
These gender-specific differences can shape how anxiety shows in adolescents. This emphasizes the need for specialized care. So, by understanding them, we can offer timely interventions and support to help our teens deal with them more effectively.
At Nexus Teen Academy, we prioritize a gender-specific approach to treatment. Our treatment plans are personalized and can help both boys and girls, depending on their unique challenges.
Anxiety Disorders in Adolescent Boys
Girls and boys show anxiety in different ways. This is because of individual experiences, cultural norms, and societal expectations. You must understand these differences to provide the right treatment and support to your teenage boy.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
GAD is a form of anxiety that shows through too much worry and fear. The fear or worry may come from relationships, academic performance, and generally future events. Boys struggling with GAD often struggle with restlessness, trouble concentrating, and irritability. They also suffer from physical symptoms like stomach aches and headaches.
Most people believe that adolescent boys are always moody and aggressive. As a result, they overlook and disqualify their anxiety as typical adolescent behaviors. This is why you must be extra careful when assessing your teenage boy. You must provide immediate treatment for their well-being.
Social Anxiety Disorder
When your teen suffers from social anxiety, they are likely to fear social gatherings. They will also fear how other people see and think about them. Boys with social anxiety disorder may not easily participate in a team, or a group activity.
Society also believes that boys should be tough like men. Such beliefs may make your teenage boy feel a lot of pressure to be self-assured and always appear confident. This pressure may make them feel that they are weak and fail to seek help. So, it is important to communicate openly with your teenage boy. Encourage them that it is normal to seek help when faced with social anxiety.
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder consists of panic attacks that occur frequently. It is mostly accompanied by extreme physical symptoms such as:
Trembling
Sweating
Heart palpitations
If your adolescent struggles with panic disorder, they may feel ashamed or embarrassed. This will likely happen if your teenage boy thinks panic disorder is a weakness. Traditional masculinity expectations may make your boy think in that manner. Such thoughts may make your adolescent boy try to conceal their symptoms. You may also notice that your teenage boy is isolating himself from social support networks. They may do so to avoid situations that may trigger panic disorder.
Phobias
Phobias refer to irrational fears of specific situations or objects. Adolescent boys particularly exhibit a fear of needles, heights, or spiders. As a parent, you must recognize these fears without stigmatizing your boy. This is because they can significantly affect his daily and quality of life. Encourage open dialogue and provide a supportive environment for gradual exposure therapy. This will help your boy confront and overcome his fears.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD involves repetitive behaviors (compulsions) and intrusive thoughts (obsessions) done in an attempt to reduce anxiety. In boys, OCD displays more overt compulsions like checking rituals and handwashing. Boys with OCD may also suffer from intrusive thoughts. These thoughts may be about self-harm or aggression and can cause stress.
Exposure and response prevention (ERP) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are some of the best treatment approaches. They can help your adolescent boy learn healthy coping strategies to manage their symptoms more effectively. At Nexus Teen Academy, we provide comprehensive treatment approaches that can help your teenage boy achieve sustained recovery.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD can develop after your adolescent boy witnesses or experiences a traumatic event. It is common to see your traumatized teenage boy try to hide their emotions. They do so to “toughen up” as society expects them. This will make it difficult for you to acknowledge and address their trauma symptoms. Therefore, you must create a safe and supportive environment to allow your teenage boy to express their emotions without fear of judgment. You should also help them get help from trusted family members or mental health professionals.
At Nexus Teen Academy’s residential treatment program for teen PTSD, we use therapies that help with trauma, like cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). We help adolescent boys process their experiences and regain safety and control.
Anxiety Disorders in Adolescent Girls
Unlike boys, adolescent girls struggle with anxiety disorders differently. This is because of unique socio-cultural, psychological and biological factors. You must recognize the unique needs of your girl to support them effectively.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is more common in girls than boys. This is because societal expectations and pressure to uphold appearance standards, maintain relationships, and excel in school make girls more vulnerable and at greater risk of GAD.
Your teenage girl may worry about her future success, academic performance, and social acceptance, leading to constant feelings of fear and apprehension.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder shows differently in adolescent girls. This is because of the social pressures that are unique to girls. Your girl may experience extreme fear of rejection or judgment in social settings. This can lead to avoidance or withdrawal from social environments.
Also, when your girl is more concerned about peer acceptance and social status, their anxiety may become worse. Severe anxiety can then interfere with your girl’s self-esteem and overall well-being. Therefore, you must talk to your teenage girl about societal expectations. Also, help them manage these expectations properly.
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder also affects teenage girls differently because of hormonal changes. Hormonal changes in girls are caused by adolescence and menstruation. Your adolescent girl may suffer more frequent panic attacks, especially when undergoing hormonal changes.
She may also experience symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations. These symptoms can be overwhelming and terrifying. You can empower your teenage girl to manage her anxiety symptoms more effectively by educating her on the psychological basis of panic attacks. You should also teach her healthy coping mechanisms.
Phobias
The common phobias in girls include:
Fear of medical procedures
Fear of animals
Fear of insects
If your girl is struggling with any of the above fears, provide them a supportive environment to allow her to express her feelings without fear of intimidation or judgment. You can also enroll them in exposure-based therapies. These therapies can help your adolescent girl overcome their fear and achieve more control.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in teenage girls often entails obsessions associated with harm avoidance, symmetry, or cleanliness. Your girl may be involved in rituals like excessive counting, checking, or hand washing to reduce their anxiety. The pressure to have more control in their lives and maintain order can also make OCD more severe in girls than boys.
Nexus Teen Academy offers exposure response prevention (ERP) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that can help your teenage girl develop healthy coping strategies to manage OCD.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is also common in adolescent girls. It is more common in girls who have experienced trauma, especially related to sexual assault, domestic abuse, or gender-based violence. Girls with PTSD struggle with various challenges that can impact their sense of trust and safety. These include:
Hypervigilance
Flashbacks
Intrusive memories
To help your teenage girl, create a safe and supportive environment to empower them. This will also enable them to seek help and access trauma-focused therapies. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) are some of the most effective interventions used to address PTSD in teenage girls.
Supporting Adolescents with Anxiety: A Gender-Sensitive Approach
Considering the above discussion, it is clear that supporting adolescents struggling with anxiety requires a gender-sensitive tactic. Such an approach should acknowledge and address the unique challenges girls and boys face. Here are some strategies you can put in place to provide effective support:
Parental and Educator Support
As a parent or educator, you can offer tailored support to girls and boys by recognizing their unique challenges. For example, girls may opt for open discussions about their feelings. On the other hand, boys prefer opportunities to express their emotions through physical activities like going to the gym or hiking. Providing a safe and non-judgmental space for both girls and boys to express themselves can help them recover well.
Self-Help Strategies
Encourage your teens to undertake self-help strategies. Self-help strategies can empower them to manage their anxiety symptoms more effectively. Girls prefer journaling or mindfulness practices. Boys like stress-relieving activities like outdoor adventure or sports. Therefore, you should consider the following:
Provide your teens with a wide variety of self-help tools and resources to allow them to explore what works best.
Teach them healthy coping strategies to manage their anxiety symptoms.
Additionally, foster a supportive peer network to enable your teen to share their experiences and learn from people with similar experiences. Peer support can be invaluable in developing resilience and promoting mental health.
Professional Help
Do not hesitate to seek gender-sensitive counseling and therapy for your teen if the other strategies are unsuccessful. Therapists who understand boys’ and girls’ unique challenges can offer personalized treatment that addresses their challenges more effectively. You should also advocate for respectful and inclusive treatment that empowers teenagers to manage their anxiety symptoms with confidence and resilience.
Conclusion
It is important to take a gender-sensitive stance when dealing with unique experiences of boys and girls. This is because these differences contribute to teen anxiety. Adolescents struggle with a difficult environment of individual stressors, biological changes, and social expectations. All these factors significantly determine how anxiety occurs in adolescents. So, by understanding them, we can provide tailored support and empower our teenagers to manage their anxiety more effectively and thrive.
At Nexus Teen Academy, we remain committed to providing specialized and personalized care and support for your adolescent struggling with anxiety. Our gender-sensitive comprehensive approach ensures that every teen receives individualized treatment that addresses their unique needs and preferences. We prioritize a safe and supportive environment where teens feel empowered to confront their fears and recover full of resilience and confidence. So, if you or someone you know is struggling with any form of teen anxiety and are looking for a teen anxiety treatment program, don’t hesitate to contact us to schedule a consultation or seek more information.
Social media can worsen anxiety disorder symptoms in both girls and boys. This is because of the fear of missing out, comparison to idealized images, and cyberbullying. But teenage girls are more exposed to the dangers of social media. This is because of greater social pressure to conform to unrealistic and false standards online.
Family dynamics significantly affect the development and management of anxiety disorders in teenagers. The following may make your teen’s anxiety worse because of o persistent worry, fear, and apprehension:
As a parent, you can observe the symptoms’ severity, intensity, and effects on your teen’s daily functioning. The following may be indicators of anxiety in your teenager:
Social withdrawal
Stomachaches
Headaches
Excessive worrying
Consult with a healthcare professional to help you clarify doubts and clearly distinguish between the two.
Hormonal fluctuations during adolescence can exacerbate anxiety in girls. Changes in progesterone and estrogen may impact neurotransmitter activity and stress response. The following strategies can help reduce these effects:
Types of Teen Anxiety: What Arizona Parents Should Know
FACT CHECKED
The Nexus Teen Academy editorial and clinical team is dedicated to providing informative and accurate content to help families who are struggling with adolescent behavioral health problems. The editorial team works directly with the clinical team to ensure information is accurate and up-to-date.
To do this, our team uses the following editorial guidelines:
Clinically reviewed by Executive Director Hannah Carr, LPC
Executive Director Hannah Carr, LPC
Hannah graduated from Arizona State University with her Bachelor’s in Psychology and Master’s in Counseling and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Arizona. She began her work as a therapist 12 years ago in South Phoenix with an intensive outpatient program for teens and their families. She joined Nexus in the residential program as the clinical director, eventually being promoted to the executive director, creating and building the clinical program structure and a strong culture focused on redirecting the trajectory of young lives.
Published By Nexus Teen Academy
Nexus Teen Academy
The Nexus Teen Academy Editorial Staff is composed of writers, editors, and clinical reviewers with many years of experience writing about mental health and behavioral health treatment. Our team utilizes peer-reviewed, clinical studies from sources like SAMHSA to ensure we provide the most accurate and current information.
Published On April 22, 2024
Table of Contents
Anxiety disorders are oddly most common among teenagers. But studies show that girls are more likely to experience panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Boys’ anxiety shows on the outside in behaviors like substance abuse and aggression. Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent mental health challenges teenagers face today. Studies also show that about 32% of teens experience anxiety disorder before they become adults. What’s even more captivating is that anxiety affects adolescent girls and boys differently.
At Nexus Teen Academy, we understand different types of teen anxiety your adolescent might be dealing with. As a result, we take a gender-based approach when addressing various types of teen anxiety. Our teen residential treatment center specializes in offering gender-specific treatment and support. We help teens deal with their anxiety disorders more effectively.
Understanding Teen Anxiety
When your teen struggles with anxiety, they may feel worried or afraid most of the time. Such feelings can interfere with their daily functioning. The most common signs and symptoms of teen anxiety include:
Since boys and girls face cultural and social pressures, you must understand and address teen anxiety immediately. Your teenage boy may struggle to fit into the traditional masculine norms. On the other hand, your adolescent girl may feel insecure about their body. They may also struggle with social acceptance.
These gender-specific differences can shape how anxiety shows in adolescents. This emphasizes the need for specialized care. So, by understanding them, we can offer timely interventions and support to help our teens deal with them more effectively.
At Nexus Teen Academy, we prioritize a gender-specific approach to treatment. Our treatment plans are personalized and can help both boys and girls, depending on their unique challenges.
Anxiety Disorders in Adolescent Boys
Girls and boys show anxiety in different ways. This is because of individual experiences, cultural norms, and societal expectations. You must understand these differences to provide the right treatment and support to your teenage boy.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
GAD is a form of anxiety that shows through too much worry and fear. The fear or worry may come from relationships, academic performance, and generally future events. Boys struggling with GAD often struggle with restlessness, trouble concentrating, and irritability. They also suffer from physical symptoms like stomach aches and headaches.
Most people believe that adolescent boys are always moody and aggressive. As a result, they overlook and disqualify their anxiety as typical adolescent behaviors. This is why you must be extra careful when assessing your teenage boy. You must provide immediate treatment for their well-being.
Social Anxiety Disorder
When your teen suffers from social anxiety, they are likely to fear social gatherings. They will also fear how other people see and think about them. Boys with social anxiety disorder may not easily participate in a team, or a group activity.
Society also believes that boys should be tough like men. Such beliefs may make your teenage boy feel a lot of pressure to be self-assured and always appear confident. This pressure may make them feel that they are weak and fail to seek help. So, it is important to communicate openly with your teenage boy. Encourage them that it is normal to seek help when faced with social anxiety.
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder consists of panic attacks that occur frequently. It is mostly accompanied by extreme physical symptoms such as:
If your adolescent struggles with panic disorder, they may feel ashamed or embarrassed. This will likely happen if your teenage boy thinks panic disorder is a weakness. Traditional masculinity expectations may make your boy think in that manner. Such thoughts may make your adolescent boy try to conceal their symptoms. You may also notice that your teenage boy is isolating himself from social support networks. They may do so to avoid situations that may trigger panic disorder.
Phobias
Phobias refer to irrational fears of specific situations or objects. Adolescent boys particularly exhibit a fear of needles, heights, or spiders. As a parent, you must recognize these fears without stigmatizing your boy. This is because they can significantly affect his daily and quality of life. Encourage open dialogue and provide a supportive environment for gradual exposure therapy. This will help your boy confront and overcome his fears.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD involves repetitive behaviors (compulsions) and intrusive thoughts (obsessions) done in an attempt to reduce anxiety. In boys, OCD displays more overt compulsions like checking rituals and handwashing. Boys with OCD may also suffer from intrusive thoughts. These thoughts may be about self-harm or aggression and can cause stress.
Exposure and response prevention (ERP) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are some of the best treatment approaches. They can help your adolescent boy learn healthy coping strategies to manage their symptoms more effectively. At Nexus Teen Academy, we provide comprehensive treatment approaches that can help your teenage boy achieve sustained recovery.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD can develop after your adolescent boy witnesses or experiences a traumatic event. It is common to see your traumatized teenage boy try to hide their emotions. They do so to “toughen up” as society expects them. This will make it difficult for you to acknowledge and address their trauma symptoms. Therefore, you must create a safe and supportive environment to allow your teenage boy to express their emotions without fear of judgment. You should also help them get help from trusted family members or mental health professionals.
At Nexus Teen Academy’s residential treatment program for teen PTSD, we use therapies that help with trauma, like cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). We help adolescent boys process their experiences and regain safety and control.
Anxiety Disorders in Adolescent Girls
Unlike boys, adolescent girls struggle with anxiety disorders differently. This is because of unique socio-cultural, psychological and biological factors. You must recognize the unique needs of your girl to support them effectively.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is more common in girls than boys. This is because societal expectations and pressure to uphold appearance standards, maintain relationships, and excel in school make girls more vulnerable and at greater risk of GAD.
Your teenage girl may worry about her future success, academic performance, and social acceptance, leading to constant feelings of fear and apprehension.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder shows differently in adolescent girls. This is because of the social pressures that are unique to girls. Your girl may experience extreme fear of rejection or judgment in social settings. This can lead to avoidance or withdrawal from social environments.
Also, when your girl is more concerned about peer acceptance and social status, their anxiety may become worse. Severe anxiety can then interfere with your girl’s self-esteem and overall well-being. Therefore, you must talk to your teenage girl about societal expectations. Also, help them manage these expectations properly.
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder also affects teenage girls differently because of hormonal changes. Hormonal changes in girls are caused by adolescence and menstruation. Your adolescent girl may suffer more frequent panic attacks, especially when undergoing hormonal changes.
She may also experience symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations. These symptoms can be overwhelming and terrifying. You can empower your teenage girl to manage her anxiety symptoms more effectively by educating her on the psychological basis of panic attacks. You should also teach her healthy coping mechanisms.
Phobias
The common phobias in girls include:
If your girl is struggling with any of the above fears, provide them a supportive environment to allow her to express her feelings without fear of intimidation or judgment. You can also enroll them in exposure-based therapies. These therapies can help your adolescent girl overcome their fear and achieve more control.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in teenage girls often entails obsessions associated with harm avoidance, symmetry, or cleanliness. Your girl may be involved in rituals like excessive counting, checking, or hand washing to reduce their anxiety. The pressure to have more control in their lives and maintain order can also make OCD more severe in girls than boys.
Nexus Teen Academy offers exposure response prevention (ERP) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that can help your teenage girl develop healthy coping strategies to manage OCD.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is also common in adolescent girls. It is more common in girls who have experienced trauma, especially related to sexual assault, domestic abuse, or gender-based violence. Girls with PTSD struggle with various challenges that can impact their sense of trust and safety. These include:
To help your teenage girl, create a safe and supportive environment to empower them. This will also enable them to seek help and access trauma-focused therapies. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) are some of the most effective interventions used to address PTSD in teenage girls.
Supporting Adolescents with Anxiety: A Gender-Sensitive Approach
Considering the above discussion, it is clear that supporting adolescents struggling with anxiety requires a gender-sensitive tactic. Such an approach should acknowledge and address the unique challenges girls and boys face. Here are some strategies you can put in place to provide effective support:
Parental and Educator Support
As a parent or educator, you can offer tailored support to girls and boys by recognizing their unique challenges. For example, girls may opt for open discussions about their feelings. On the other hand, boys prefer opportunities to express their emotions through physical activities like going to the gym or hiking. Providing a safe and non-judgmental space for both girls and boys to express themselves can help them recover well.
Self-Help Strategies
Encourage your teens to undertake self-help strategies. Self-help strategies can empower them to manage their anxiety symptoms more effectively. Girls prefer journaling or mindfulness practices. Boys like stress-relieving activities like outdoor adventure or sports. Therefore, you should consider the following:
Professional Help
Do not hesitate to seek gender-sensitive counseling and therapy for your teen if the other strategies are unsuccessful. Therapists who understand boys’ and girls’ unique challenges can offer personalized treatment that addresses their challenges more effectively. You should also advocate for respectful and inclusive treatment that empowers teenagers to manage their anxiety symptoms with confidence and resilience.
Conclusion
It is important to take a gender-sensitive stance when dealing with unique experiences of boys and girls. This is because these differences contribute to teen anxiety. Adolescents struggle with a difficult environment of individual stressors, biological changes, and social expectations. All these factors significantly determine how anxiety occurs in adolescents. So, by understanding them, we can provide tailored support and empower our teenagers to manage their anxiety more effectively and thrive.
At Nexus Teen Academy, we remain committed to providing specialized and personalized care and support for your adolescent struggling with anxiety. Our gender-sensitive comprehensive approach ensures that every teen receives individualized treatment that addresses their unique needs and preferences. We prioritize a safe and supportive environment where teens feel empowered to confront their fears and recover full of resilience and confidence. So, if you or someone you know is struggling with any form of teen anxiety and are looking for a teen anxiety treatment program, don’t hesitate to contact us to schedule a consultation or seek more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Social media can worsen anxiety disorder symptoms in both girls and boys. This is because of the fear of missing out, comparison to idealized images, and cyberbullying. But teenage girls are more exposed to the dangers of social media. This is because of greater social pressure to conform to unrealistic and false standards online.
Family dynamics significantly affect the development and management of anxiety disorders in teenagers. The following may make your teen’s anxiety worse because of o persistent worry, fear, and apprehension:
As a parent, you can observe the symptoms’ severity, intensity, and effects on your teen’s daily functioning. The following may be indicators of anxiety in your teenager:
Consult with a healthcare professional to help you clarify doubts and clearly distinguish between the two.
Schools can help teenage boys struggling with anxiety by:
Hormonal fluctuations during adolescence can exacerbate anxiety in girls. Changes in progesterone and estrogen may impact neurotransmitter activity and stress response. The following strategies can help reduce these effects: