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ANXIETY

First and foremost- anxiety is an  umbrella term for a lot more disorders: generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), phobias, and anything else characterized by worry and fear. Anxiety overall is the most common mental health disorder in those over the age of 18, with approximately 40 million adults in the USA experiencing some form of anxiety. While extremely treatable, only about 37% of the adult population with anxiety actually seek treatment, an overly low statistic that displays the extent of the stigma towards mental health, and the lack of awareness. Essentially, many people who do have some form of anxiety don't actually believe in it, or don't believe it warrants treatment, as they do not know it is a real disorder and not something specific to them.

The same tends to hold true for the enormous amount of children- specifically teenagers who have anxiety.

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Anxiety affects around 1 in 8 children, making it incredibly common and scarily prevalent in society. The problem with anxiety in teenagers is not only that it is not treated, but it isn't recognized in the first place. 80% of kids with diagnosable anxiety are not treated. And the amount of reported cases of anxiety are continuously increasing -- which might seem like a good thing at first, if more kids are actually reporting it--- the problem is, the amount of unreported cases are rising too. Many people write anxiety off as just "nervousness", and whether it be parents or teenagers themselves, it harms both mental health and performance. So, even as the amount of children with anxiety rises, it's always been important to know the signs and symptoms of anxiety, to keep yourself and others mentally healthy. Quick disclaimer- diagnosing oneself isn't recommended, but if you see any of these signs in yourself or others, please talk to a professional to confirm, or reach out and provide support to others who you might see these signs in.

SIGNS

  • irritability

  • extreme worrying + fear

  • physical stress responses

    • agitation​

    • clammy hands

    • pulse racing

    • difficulty breathing

    • dry mouth

    • tense muscles

  • fatigue

  • ​panic attacks​

    • sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, choking sensation, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, fear of losing mind, fear of dying, feeling hot/cold, numbness/tingling, heart palpitations​

  • chronic restlessness/difficulty concentrating

  • sleep disorders, esp insomnia

  • stark change in behavior

SOLVES

  • therapy

    • EMDR (eye movement desensitization and ​reprocessing)

      • certain EMDR gifs can replicate the effects (for budget)​

    • group therapy/peer-to-peer therapy

      • extremely effective for teens​

    • exposure therapy

    • CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)

  • regular sleep and food cycles

  • yoga, meditiation, mindfulness

  • exercise

  • 5-4-3-2-1 for panic attacks

    • five things you can see​, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste

  • short term: regulate breathing

  • medication for severe cases

While I say "solves", there's no actual easy solution. But anxiety is one of the easiest disorders to treat, which is why it's so saddening when so little people receive treatment. In this case, one of the above suggestions might work, all of them might work, or none of them might work- it all depends on the person and their particular brain chemistry. However, these are the treatments that have been known to work the most reliably. Things like yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and regulation of eating and sleeping cycles aren't solutions. But they do help a person with anxiety to regulate their emotions, to mellow out, understand themselves, and get into the right headspace to help themselves.

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For teens facing this - in themselves or others- it might be scary, but what you have to do for your friends and vice versa is to be there. Nothing ever works without the support of family and friends. And please talk to a professional, or at least an adult, whether it be a parent, teacher, or someone else. Most teenagers aren't exactly equipped to get themselves or others the help they need, which is why talking to an adult whom you feel safe around is so important.

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