Understanding Teenage Anxiety: A Parenting Guide To Combat Your Teen’s Chronic Anxiety

One-quarter of children today, ages 13–18, struggle with an anxiety disorder, and 75 percent of them will never receive direct support from a qualified provider, assert mother-son coauthors Browne and Buchanan. Instead of receiving legitimate treatment, many teenagers self-medicate by abusing drugs as a way to avoid uncomfortable situations, as Buchanan did. Here, the author recounts the fear and stress of his childhood. Life for teens is competitive: chock-full of activities, academic challenges, and the pressure to get into college. In addition, cyberbullying, and social media that prompt kids to compare themselves constantly with others, have been linked with a spike in mood disorders. Smartphones may provide an additional distraction that plagues teens with social anxiety by allowing them to avoid in-person conversations and situations.