The Rise of Teen Anxiety

According the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 31.9 percent of all adolescents from ages 13-18 experience an anxiety disorder. These statistics have been continually rising annually since 2007.

Along with these numbers, the number of suicidal teens admitted to hospitals and doctor have doubled in the past decade. This raises many concerns and questions.

What is causing the dramatic rise of teen anxiety?

Why is this happening? Even though there is not a specific cause, there are a number of factors contributing to the increase of anxiety. There are a number of biological factors that could lead to this such as genetics, life events, personality, and brain functions, however there are also social factors that should be considered.

• High expectations and pressure. Teenagers tend to place very high expectations on themselves which increases their stress. Today’s teenagers are expected to do extremely well in school and attend prestigious universities. They must also maintain good relations and active social lives. However with this comes loads of stress and pressure that teenagers cannot handle. This creates feelings of overwhelm which then lead to anxiousness and when severe, depression.
• Parental approval. Teens are in an awkward phase where they want their parents to approve of everything they are doing but they also want to do things that they personally want to do or things that rebel parental authority. This is frustrating for both teenagers and parents. Parents always want what is best for their children and sometimes that comes with very high expectations. For example, a parent wanting their teenager to have perfect grades. However, teenagers do not view these expectations from the same perspective as their parents do which will create stress and anxiety for them. This is a necessary and normal stage of development but when extreme, it can create lasting effects on a teenager’s mental health.

• Social media and peer pressure. Teenagers these days are under a lot of pressure from their peers. Peer pressure can be a positive or negative thing but both types will create stress. For example, being pressure into smoking because it will make you cool is an example of negative peer pressure. On the other hand, if a teen’s friend is getting the grades and forming one of the best reputations in their school, this creates a lot of pressure for that teen to conform with everyone and keep up their social lives as well. Teens today are also under the powerful influence of social media. It is not shocking that their lives become connected to responses of social media posts. It is difficult for them to not compare themselves and their social lives to the standards set by social media.

Regardless the cause, the rise of teen anxiety in our youth is a serious problem.

The skyrocketing of anxiety leads to much more serious mental health problems- depression, suicide, and substance abuse. This interferes with their ability to focus and concentrate in school causing longterm impacts on a teen’s education. This anxiety also leads to many physical problems- headaches, pain, and potentially heart disease. Anxiety affects everyone very severly, those who are school bound and those that are not.

So what can our society do about this problem?

• Stay aware of signs of anxiety.
• Be aware of the expectations set for our youth.
• Talk with teens about problems.
• Talk with teens about social media use.

The world is a challenging and scary place. Our role as a society is to help the youth take on problems, build new coping strategies, and develop the resilience that is needed when faced with difficulties and hardships.