Download Understanding Anxiety Disorders in Adolescents: Causes, Types, and Effects and more Slides Psychiatry in PDF only on Docsity! Anxiety in Teenagers Docsity.com Facts about Anxiety • Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental, emotional, and behavioral problems to occur • About 13 of every 100 children and adolescents ages 9 to 17 experience some kind of anxiety disorder • Girls are affected more than boys.1 About 50% of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders have a 2nd anxiety disorder or other mental/behavioral disorder • Anxiety disorders may coexist with physical health conditions as well Docsity.com How Anxiety is Manifested • Students may feel a sense of dread • Have fears of impending doom • Experience a sense of suffocation • Anticipation of unarticulated catastrophe • Loss of control over their breath, swallowing, speech, and coordination • Somatic Complaints Docsity.com Types of Anxiety Disorders • Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – GAD results in students experiencing six months or more of persistent, irrational and extreme worry, causing insomnia, headaches, and irritability. • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – PTSD can follow an exposure to a traumatic event such as natural disasters, sexual or physical assaults, or the death of a loved one. Three main symptoms: reliving of the traumatic event, avoidance behaviors and emotional numbing, and physiological arousal such as difficulty sleeping, irritability or poor concentration. Docsity.com • Panic Disorders – Characterized by unpredictable panic attacks, which are episodes of intense fear, physiological arousal, and escape behaviors. Common symptoms: heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness and anxiety and these symptoms are often confused with those of a heart attack. • Specific Phobias – Intense fear reaction to a specific object or situation (such as spiders, dogs, or heights) which often leads to avoidance behavior. The level of fear is usually inappropriate to the situation and is recognized by the sufferer as being irrational Docsity.com Comorbidity continued….. • Anxiety and Depression – Occur together 50-60% of the time – Anxiety precedes Depression – May lead to suicidal thoughts • School Performance – Inattentiveness – Difficulty with organization – Forgetfulness Docsity.com Comorbidity continued….. • Adolescents with substance use disorders (SUD) exhibit a high prevalence of psychiatric problems compared to the general population • Many teens (as well as adults) believe that drugs and alcohol may alleviate anxiety and stress Docsity.com Effective Ways to Treat Anxiety • Cognitive-behavioral treatment( young people learn to deal with fears by modifying the ways they think and behave) • Relaxation techniques • Biofeedback (to control stress and muscle tension) • Family therapy • Parent training • Medication Docsity.com • Work with a child regarding class participation and answering questions on the board, understanding that many anxious youth fear answering incorrectly. • Encourage small group interactions and provide assistance in increasing competency and developing peer relationships. • Reward the student’s efforts. • Provide an organized, calming, and supportive environment. • For maximum effectiveness, encourage feedback from youths about these interventions Docsity.com Strategies continued….. • It is important for behaviors to be reinforced at home as well as in school therefore parents should be involved in the treatment process • Help parents to understand the problem behaviors and what they can do at home to help • Collaborate with the clinician and parents to develop a plan of action that would benefit the student Docsity.com
