Although the causes of anxiety can lead to severe symptoms, anxiety is highly treatable. Anyone can develop an anxiety disorder, although causes of anxiety can include trauma and low self-esteem. When you are struggling with anxiety, it is important to share your concerns with family members and your doctor as treatment can reduce symptoms. If your teen struggles with anxiety, learn about our mental health treatment center by contacting our NC adolescent treatment center today.
Causes of Anxiety
Adolescence is a difficult period, where peer pressure, puberty, and fluctuating emotions can cause stress, depression, and anxiety. While it may seem like mental illness is not common among teens, 31.9% of teens struggle with an anxiety-related disorder. Causes of anxiety can involve different stressors for teens than adults. Social relationships are among the leading causes of anxiety in teens, as social phobias impact 9.1% of teens.
While everyone experiences anxiety, those with an anxiety disorder deal with symptoms that impact their daily life. Symptoms can make it difficult to cultivate friendships or to engage with others. Causes of anxiety can include:
- Major life changes
- Conflict with others
- Trauma
- Other mental health disorders
There is not a genetic trait or inheritable condition that causes anxiety, meaning that while certain factors can increase your risk of experiencing an anxiety disorder, there can be many causes of anxiety disorders. Symptoms can begin at any time, although anxiety symptoms usually begin in the early teens.
Common symptoms of an anxiety disorder include:
- Constantly worrying
- Feeling anxiety around other people
- Depression
- Panic and anxiety attacks
- Difficulty sleeping
Symptoms can become disabling without treatment and make it difficult to enjoy life. Isolation is a common consequence of anxiety, as social interactions are common causes of anxiety. Understanding the causes of anxiety is an important topic explored during treatment.
How Anxiety Disorders are Treated
When you struggle with an anxiety disorder, evidence-based and holistic therapies are utilized to help you learn how to manage your symptoms. Evidence-based treatments are considered effective based on research and success with prior patients.
Our evidence-based treatments can include:
- Medications
- Cognitive and dialectical behavioral therapy
- Individual, group, and family counseling
- Acceptance and commitment therapy
Anti-anxiety medications can reduce symptoms and improve sleep, while therapy improves your ability to identify the causes of anxiety. Understanding what causes your symptoms to decline helps you learn how to cope with symptoms. Identifying triggers is another way treatment can improve your symptoms. When you are exposed to triggers, such as large public events, it can cause symptoms to worsen. While you can avoid some triggers, others are unavoidable. That makes it essential to understand how stressors and symptoms connect so you can deploy healthy coping mechanisms to control your symptoms.
Holistic therapies, like Yoga and deep breathing, can improve cognition and reduce anxiety. Activities like nature therapy and meditation can decrease your negative emotions, which can improve your ability to manage your anxiety.
While you can participate in inpatient treatment, outpatient therapy is the most common treatment for anxiety disorders. Inpatient mental health treatment is typically utilized for emergency situations. Symptoms can take time to control, as therapy and medications may take several weeks to become effective. It is important to be patient during treatment, as your symptoms will not disappear overnight.
Reaching Out for Health
Because the causes of anxiety disorders are unique to the individual, when you are struggling with anxiety, it is important to reach out for help. While anxiety disorders can make you feel isolated or cause you to avoid interacting with others, treatment is highly effective. Contact us at 866.300.5275 to discuss your treatment options today.
