Separation anxiety disorder, panic disorder, Teenage anxiety and specific phobias.
You may have heard these terms used and now seek more info or you already understand them and are looking for help.
Perhaps you suspect your teen might have an issue.
Or maybe you are looking for a diagnosis and treatment for your teen.
In either case, you need to get all the facts and put your mind at ease.
"Anxiety disorder" (or for the purposes of this article we will refer to these as an AD).
AD is an umbrella term that covers seven different conditions: posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), separation AD, Generalized AD (GAD),social AD, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, and phobias.
AD's lead to the most trouble from around 10 - 15.
But, the panic disorder normally starts in adulthood.
Separation anxiety and specific phobias are more prominent in childhood and are generally less during adolescence.
• PTSD can lead to particularly distressing symptoms as well.
In addition, adolescents are at higher risk than other age groups for many of the traumatic events that can give rise to PTSD.
• OCD is less common, but the symptoms can be especially disruptive to the lives of young people.
• Social AD is quite prevalent, and it typically begins in late childhood or early adolescence.
• GAD is also common, affecting at least 2% of all adolescents.
It is estimated that from 3% to 5% of all adolescents have some type of teenage anxiety disorder.
Without treatment, this kind of disorder can affect school, or social skills with friends.
Or it may just take much of their enjoyment from life.
Doctors now know more about treating teenage anxiety than ever before.
But there aren't any miracle cures, but there are good levels of psychotherapy and medication to help your teen feel better.
As for your own feelings, there are no guarantees of making you feel better, you're raising a teenager! But the worries should lessen as your teen's mood heals, and as you take charge of the situation by finding treatment for your child your sense of well being will too.