What is Teen Anxiety?
As with all mental health questions, the answer to what is teen anxiety is multifaceted, and there are many points of view from which to observe anxiety in teens, its causes, and its resolution. What is certain is that anxiety, not depression, is the most prevalent psychological complaint in our culture, affecting some 12.6% of the population within any given 12 month period. Anxiety and anxiety-induced insomnia are the most common psychological complaints, and are the reason for approximately 30% of all patient visits to primary care physicians.
Studies have indicated that teen anxiety is associated with negative emotionality, with teen depression, as well as suicide ideation and teen suicide. Youth anxiety has been implicated as a precursor to adult depression, indicating the importance of early treatment. Studies have also shown that teen anxiety disorders often precede teen substance abuse, and that substances are often used to reduce or control anxiety. With so many possible negative outcomes to excessive anxiety in teens, the need for treatment, rather than benign neglect and hoping it will go away on its own, is clear.
