This is a project that I really enjoyed doing in school, so I wanted to share it with family.
WHAT IS ANXIETY?
Did you know that today, 1 in 8 teenagers have anxiety disorders, 80% of which are not being treated according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America? Picture this: a thirteen year-old boy has always been nervous about flying on an airplane. He is on an airplane with his family heading over the mountains. The pilot turns the seatbelt sign on and says that they will be heading into a patch of turbulence. The boy starts to sweat and tremble. He feels sick and he is too scared to move. In his head, the plane will crash, and he thinks that he is a goner.
Anxiety is a big problem for teens. But bad types of anxiety are called anxiety disorders. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s definition of general anxiety is, “apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an impending or anticipated ill”. Some teens have lots of trouble with anxiety, and that is when it can turn into an anxiety disorder. There are six main types of anxiety disorders: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), Social phobias, Specific phobias, Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and panic disorder. Anxiety is a normal part of a teenage phase, and life but, it is vital for people who think they have anxiety disorders to go see an anxiety specialist so they can get the help that they need to live a happier life.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS AND CAUSES OF ANXIETY?
There are many different causes of anxiety. Despite schools trying to decrease stress for teenagers, anxiety can be caused and lead to poor grades in school, as well. Being over-pressured to excel causes lots of stress for teens everywhere. It can even lead to not wanting to participate in social and school events. In one type of anxiety disorder, OCD is where people affected by it feel the need to always be perfect, never touch a single germ, and needing to organize things in a certain way. Similarly, phobias, fears of certain things are causes of an anxiety disorder. Phobias can cause a type of anxiety disorder called OCD. People affected by OCD feel the need to always be perfect, never touch a single germ, and needing to organize things in a certain way. The phobia of germs are mysophobia. Although there are a number of factors that can help the effects of anxiety, there is no cure for anxiety, not even medication.
Anxiety has many effects, all of which would be best to avoid. The effects of anxiety can range from physical to mental issues. Anxiety can even pair with ADHD and eating disorders, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. As a physical effect, anxiety can lead to trembling, sweating, hyperventilating, and blotching when thoughts of fear burst into your head.
ANXIETY THERAPIES AND PREVENTION
Although there is no cure or solution to end anxiety, there are therapies that help deal with anxiety. Slow breathing often works to calm anxiety. Similarly, taking a break to relax or allowing extra time to sleep in once in awhile also works as well. Studies show that when teens don’t sleep well, they are more likely to have troubles with anxiety the next day. And after a long day at school, taking a break helps relieve stress levels tremendously. For more serious cases of anxiety, such as an outburst of fear or nervousness, singing a song in your head, one that is likely to get stuck in your head will take your mind off it more willingly. Counting to ten or twenty repeatedly also helps. But overall, if you think you have anxiety, make sure to go see a specialist or someone who can help you learn about your anxiety. Once you learn about your anxiety, it often seems less daunting and more of something you can help. And finally, involvement in something has been proved to help teenagers with major anxiety issues. Anything from volunteering at an animal shelter to being on a school student council can help with anxiety. If you ever have anxiety, big or small, these techniques will definitely help.
ACT NOW!
To help teenagers who are experiencing anxiety, it is necessary to take action. If teenagers who have anxiety just let their anxiety issue rush by, they will experience worse anxiety when they get older. The first step is education: learn about anxiety and its effects. If people continue to go blind about anxiety, it will affect more and more people. Also, any teenager who thinks that they have an anxiety disorder needs to go see a specialist to help them. It could change their life forever. All in all, anxiety needs to be known about, and teenagers need to act by going to see an anxiety specialist.
Works Cited
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. 17 Jan.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. 18 Jan.
The Atlantic. 18 Jan.
2017.http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/10/when-anxiety-hits-at-school/380622/
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. 19 Jan.
International OCD Foundation. 19 Jan.
National Institute of Mental Health. 20 Jan.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. 26 Jan.
2017.https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/any-anxiety-disorder-among-children.shtml
Hi Marco, A very well done piece of research. It’s sad to know that so many teens suffer with anxiety problems, If more parents were aware of this many teens would get the help they need. Thanks for this blog. Grandma Natalie
Hi Marco
i like your thoughtful post. You made me wonder: would it be better if we were never anxious? or do you think there is some fundamental human need to feel anxiety? Surely there must be some reason that we’ve evolved this way, or someone or some higher being has played a terrible joke on us! Is there a relationship between feeling anxiety and our need to protect ourselves? and why does anxiety sometimes cause us to “freeze up” when that doesn’t seem to make us any safer? And if anxiety is a way for our brain to help us “find safety”, then explain why would I get anxious standing in front of people giving a presentation? because i still get anxious! I hope you can answer some of these questions, and i can tell you i’m eager (not anxious) to hear!
– UA
First of all, thanks so much for asking these thoughtful questions and checking out my blog! Personally, I feel that having anxiety can help people face their fears. Anxiety is commonly about a fear of something, and when you learn to improve your anxiety issues, you can lose your fears. For example, I am a little nervous flying, but using techniques to prevent my anxiety, I am less scared of flying. So in that respect, anxiety is not fundamental, but can be helpful. I definitely think that there is a relationship between anxiety and protecting ourselves. Being anxious can often occur when you are nervous of something happening to yourself. I think that causing us to “freeze up” is a bad habit that comes with anxiety, but I really don’t know why we would do that when we’re nervous, it really makes no sense. The presentation anxiety is an anxiety of being nervous about something happening to you. Whenever I give a presentation, I’m nervous about making a dumb mistake or saying something incorrectly. I don’t want people to judge me just because of a mistake. I think that is a form of wanting to protect ourselves from critiques. I hope this helps!
-Marco
Thanks Marco! Those are some good thoughts. It reminded me of the “Ridikulus” spell in Harry Potter — picturing your greatest fear in a ballerina dress is another way to go!
UA
That’s really funny! I never thought of my fears in a ballerina dress!
Hi Marco,
Thanks for talking about this very important topic. Understanding anxiety can help all of us identify it, manage it in our own lives, and help others. Personally I find the slow breathing to be effective when I’m anxious, but the “ridikulous” spell sounds good too!
xo Aunt D
That’s a really interesting project! I loved this Article! It brought up a lot of very interesting questions! I was surprised to hear that 1 in 8 teenagers have anxiety. And ONLY 80% are treated? That’s crazy!