Teenage Depression and Anxiety
Depression and anxiety are becoming increasingly prevalent in teenagers. Is your teen struggling?
The 2022 State of Mental Health in America report found that 15% of youth had a major depressive episode in the last year. The report also found that over 60% of youth with major depression do not receive mental health treatment.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety among teenagers is on the rise, and 31% of adolescents aged 13 to 18 battle with anxiety.
The prevalence of depression and anxiety in teenagers has been particularly alarming during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Given these disturbing statistics, we need to make greater efforts to recognize anxiety and depression in our youth.
Anxiety in the Teenager
In teenagers, anxiety can be caused by a multitude of factors relating to their home, social, economic, and educational environment.
Other influencing factors include:
Pressures of social media and the negative affects of it on self-esteem. The damaging effects of screentime and social media consumption cannot be emphasized enough these days. A large part of the lives of adolescents are lived out through their screens. Their social connections are there, as well as standards and expectations for what they should be doing, how they should look, and what kind of lives they should have.
The screen is also the venue through which bullying and online harassment occurs. This can become highly intrusive and pervasive in a child’s life as their phone is always there, always on, always receiving messages, images and other media.
Academic or athletic performance pressure. The pressure to get good grades and admission to the right college comes not only from parents, but can also come from the student themselves. The pressure to perform well athletically can come from teammates, coaches, and from the student’s desire to meet those expectations.
Social pressures. Trying to fit into peer groups and be socially included is highly stressful for many teenagers. Navigating romantic relationships can also be confusing. Rejection and bullying can have long-lasting mental health consequences.
Body image issues. Social media again plays a role here in placing value on unrealistic, photoshopped beauty standards. Adolescence is a time when children’s bodies are undergoing vast changes, and they are highly susceptible to the messaging they receive about how they look.
Coming of age in a world that is fraught with violence, racism, human and climate catastrophes. Teenagers are not as oblivious to the world around them as we may think. This is in part due to the amount of information they have access to. Through the screen, information is instantly and literally in their face. The political, social, and cultural problems of today do have a negative impact on teens. They may internalize the stress and worry caused by these issues.
Signs of Anxiety in Teenagers
Anxiety symptoms may manifest in a different way in teenagers than they do in adults or young children. Social anxiety and panic attacks usually develop in the teenage years. When looking for and managing anxiety in adolescents, you must be aware of what the typical symptoms are. These include:
Substance abuse
Falling grades
Frequent complaint of ailments like headaches and stomach aches
Trouble sleeping
Impaired concentration
Lack of motivation
Withdrawal – a decrease in their social activities, isolation
Change in eating habits
Irritability
Sensitivity to criticism or perceived slights
Worry or fear around school and attending school
Self-image/body image – teens worry about how they come across to others and can become preoccupied about their looks
You may have to be carefully observant for these signs of a possible anxiety disorder, as teenagers can be quite adept at hiding things. The more attuned you are to your child’s moods and behaviors, the more likely you are to pick up on it when something is off.
Teenagers and Depression
Depression is not a condition that only affects adults – rates of depression are increasing among the adolescent population.
Teen depression is a serious mental health problem that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in activities. It affects how your teenager thinks, feels and behaves, and it can cause emotional, functional and physical problems. [1]
Depression in teenagers should be taken seriously. This is not something they can just shake off. It is possible to overlook the warning signs, as they can come across as regular teenage angst. This is where the importance of parenting with awareness and open communication comes in. You should trust your instinct if you feel that all is not right with your child.
Signs of Depression in Teenagers
Depression in a teenager may present as:
Emotional changes – moodiness, anger, irritability, inability to handle stressful situations or conversations
Loss of interest in activities and people they once enjoyed
Hypersensitivity to criticism, defensiveness
Trouble concentrating and remembering things
Behavioral changes – substance abuse, major changes in sleep patterns, altered eating habits, recklessness
Physical ailments – body aches, feeling unwell, fatigue, stomach pain, headaches
Withdrawal from activities, events, friends and family
Trouble with academic performance
A general slowing down and detachment
The Link Between Teenage Anxiety and Depression
In teenagers, it is common to find that both anxiety and depression present alongside each other. This is in part because an anxious lifestyle can be so distressing, or so limiting, that it leads to depression. [2] Parents need to have honest conversations about the emotional changes that come about in adolescence.
In some cases, a teenager may not have a name for what they are dealing with. They may not recognize that what they are struggling with is depression or anxiety – or both. Some of the symptoms of anxiety and depression in teens may be overlooked as just regular teenage behavior. However, we need to look at these signs in context, while keeping in mind other factors in a child’s life.
It is important to raise awareness about depression and anxiety among the 13 to 18-year-old age group. Young people must be able to recognize the signs of these mental disorders in themselves, a peer, or a sibling. They should also know where to go for help and support. This can in part be accomplished by mental health workshops conducted in schools by established mental health services. These workshops can serve to inform students, parents, teachers and counselors about anxiety and depression.
Understanding Teenage Depression and Anxiety
Parents must educate themselves about mental illness in teenagers, what the symptoms are, and how it presents. They must also find out what resources, such as mental health counseling, are available in their area.
In order to understand the burden of anxiety and depression in adolescence, we must understand what it is like for a child going through it. Adolescents and parents need to know what anxiety and depression feels like. In this way, parents and children are better equipped to identify the signs. Parents will have the knowledge needed to help their child process what they are dealing with. Teens will gain the awareness needed to access their thoughts and emotions and recognize inner dysfunction.
What anxiety may feel like for a teenager:
Excessive, constant worry or fear
Headaches
Butterflies in the stomach
Nausea
Increased need to use the bathroom
Clammy hands
Shakiness, unease, restlessness
Sleep problems
Bad dreams
What depression may feel like to a teenager:
Deep confusion – about how they are feeling, what they are feeling, and why they are feeling it
Inability to feel excitement, hope, or joy
They may feel like something is wrong with them
Fatigue
General feeling of malaise
A desire to self-harm or engaging in self-harm
Elise Jameson, a 16-year-old with depression, wrote an article for the Huffington Post about depression. She states, “The shame, weakness and hopelessness I feel when I am depressed are debilitating.”
Seeking Help
Keeping the lines of communication open with your teenager is key to understanding what they are going through. If they are finding things overwhelming, it may be time to seek help through therapy for adolescents.
Depression and anxiety disorders in teenagers should not be left untreated. If you feel that you teenager is struggling, consider therapy for adolescents, anxiety therapy, or depression treatment. Remind your child that it is okay - and healthy - to seek support in managing their troubling feelings and emotions.
Knowing that they have a safe, judgment-free space in which they can talk about how they feel gives teens a sense of security. Treatment with a compassionate therapist will help them make sense of what they are going through. Therapy will give your child the tools and skills they need to better manage their emotions and daily functionality.
Trust Mental Health has a team of experienced therapists from diverse backgrounds. Sometimes, teens may feel uncomfortable in a clinical setting, face to face. We also offer virtual/online therapy sessions. Contact us for a free 15-minute consultation. We will match your child with a therapist best suited to their specific needs.
References:
[1] https://childmind.org
[2] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions