Adolescents 14 to 18 years
Anxiety and Depression in Adolescence 
Adolescence is a period of dramatic change for teenagers and their parents. The process of growing from a child to an adult will always be difficult, because life presents many new demands during the teenage years. Some of the new challenges experienced by adolescents include adjusting to rapid bodily changes, making new and more mature friendships, moving towards emotional independence from parents, dating, study and preparing for a career, and developing one’s own sense of identity.
In addition to these normal stresses, some adolescents also struggle with feelings of anxiety or depression. While most adolescents feel more stressed or moody on occasions, about one in every ten teenagers experiences stress or anxiety to such a level that it interferes with everyday life activities. Of these young people, about a third will go on to develop strong feelings of sadness or depression, which do not go away.
Anxiety
Stress or anxiety is a normal emotion and can actually be helpful in some situations. For example, top athletes or performers usually feel a bit anxious before they perform, and moderate anxiety can motivate you to study for an exam or prepare for a speech. However some young people become anxious more easily, more often, and have trouble calming down when anxiety becomes too high.
High levels of stress can impact many areas of life, including your emotions, your body, your thoughts and your actions. Anxiety can raise your heart and breathing, make your muscles tense, and leave you feeling dizzy. When you feel stressed, your mind starts to focus on all the bad things that could happen, and it is hard to concentrate on other things. Over time anxiety can lead to chronic worry. High anxiety is also linked to headaches, stomachaches, sleep problems and agitation. When anxiety gets out of control it can start to interfere with daily activities at home and school. Fear can stop you doing things such as meeting new people, performing in front of others, going to a sleepover, or even going to school. In this case anxiety has become a problem and is no longer serving a helpful purpose.
Depression
While everyone feels down sometimes, depression involves strong feelings of sadness that don’t go away easily. When you are depressed, your mood changes, such that you feel sad, moody or irritable, and it may be hard to cope with everyday demands such as study. Depression changes your thinking so that you may become more negative, or overly critical of yourself. Problems can seem difficult to cope with, and life can feel very out of control.
When adolescents become depressed, they may lose pleasure or enjoyment of activities that used to be fun. Some people just feel numb and empty. One of the main things teenagers tell us when they are depressed is that they are tired or have no energy, and want to sleep more. Depression can make it hard to see the point in doing things and can lead you to stop doing things you enjoy. It can be difficult to stick at things for very long, and performance at school or other activities might drop off. When teenagers feel depressed they often prefer to be alone, and avoid spending time with friends or family.
What can be done?
Some people are more prone to anxiety and depression than others, partly because they are bornthat way. Some teenagers may react in a more emotional way to events because of their more emotional or sensitive personality. Teenagers can also pick up behaviours by watching others or by going through negative life experiences. In general we recommend to people that you should seek help if anxiety or depression has become so high that they are causing distress or interfering with life. Research has shown that adolescents do not necessarily grow out of anxiety or depression into adulthood, and so it is important to be proactive if dealing with emotional problems. The good news is that it is possible for teenagers to overcome both anxiety and depression.
To find out more about anxiety in adolescents, click here.
To find out more about the programs we have for adolescents, click here.
