8 Reasons Why Anxiety in Teens is Increasing

Did you know that as of 2016, anxiety has now surpassed depression as the most common mental health concern among college students? (American College Health Association, 2016). Not only that, according to a recent survey by the National Institute of Mental Health (2017), an estimated 38% of female teens and 26.1% of male teens, aged 13-18 years old, reportedly experience anxiety on a near-daily basis, with 9% going on to develop anxiety disorders like GAD, SAD, and more.

With such startlingly high incident rates and more new cases popping up each year, anxiety in teens is inarguably at an all-time high. And it begs the question of why. Why are teenagers today so anxious? What could be the possible reasons behind it? And most importantly, what can we do to stop it?

On that note, here are 8 of the most likely reasons adolescent anxiety is now increasing:

1. High Expectations

Given how much modern society values accomplishment and status, it’s no wonder that teenagers today are feeling more pressure than ever to succeed. In fact, according to a recent survey, over 41% of college students now reported feeling overwhelmed by other people’s expectations of them, as compared to the 28% back in 2000 and 18% back in 1985 (Higher Education Research, 2016). Parents and teachers tend to pressure teens into excelling at what they do, whether it’s by winning competitions, attending a prestigious university, or being a varsity athlete. But expecting too much from them can bring them a lot of stress and anxiety, especially when they start to internalize those expectations and allow it to negatively impact their sense of identity and self-esteem. 

2. Academic Pressure

From getting good grades, to choosing the right career path, to having an impressive application form good enough to get into the college of their choice, academic pressure and school-related stress is a serious contributor to a lot of students’ anxiety. So many teenagers nowadays have to juggle school with part-time jobs and extracurricular activities (such as student governments, after school sports, and volunteer work).

On top of that, they are also expected to maintain active social lives and good grades by studying, doing homework, and turning in a lot of projects. Such a hectic schedule leaves little time for rest and relaxation. As a result, most teenagers don’t get the proper amount of sleep, neglect their self-care, and deal with high levels of chronic stress on a day-to-day basis – all of which exacerbate feelings of anxiety (Putwain, 2007). 

3. Social Stress

Another reason why anxiety in teens is rapidly rising these days may be explained by social stress. Because our adolescence is such a formative part of our lives, there’s a lot of pressure to fit in, figure out who we are, assert our independence, and gain the approval of our peers. Bullying and peer pressure can take a serious toll on a teenager’s mental health, but so can rejection, relationship conflicts, loneliness, and perceived social isolation (La Greca & Harrison, 2005). Falling in with the wrong crowd, getting your heart broken, being betrayed by a friend, and feeling like you don’t belong anywhere can all trigger serious amounts of anxiety in a teenager, especially when they don’t yet understand how to cope with such negative emotions. 

4. Social Media

While many of us use social media as a way of keeping in touch with other people, for younger generations it’s all about curating a self-image. It’s a way for teenagers to present an idealized version of themselves to the world and stay connected with their peers. But overexposure to social media can bring about strong feelings of isolation, inadequacy, dissatisfaction, envy, and self-centeredness (De Choudhury, Gamon, Counts, & Horvitz, 2013). Not only that, but social media also creates a culture of constant distraction that teenagers escape to when they feel bored, lonely, or upset, which stunts their emotional growth and keeps them from developing healthy coping mechanisms and mental resilience (White, 2013).

5. Exposure to Violence

Have you been watching the news lately? School shootings, sexual assault, kidnappings, hazings, and other violent, heinous crimes all make the world seem like a terrifying place to live in, especially to someone so young. Exposure to such violence can make young people feel anxious about being alone in public places, going out, and walking home late at night. Many of them don’t even feel safe in their own cities or neighborhoods because of how rampant crime is nowadays. And these feelings of helplessness and dread can leave teens overwhelmed with anxiety and fear for their own safety.

6. Toxic Positivity

Have you ever told someone with anxiety that they should just “try to stay positive” and “look at the bright side”? While your intentions may have been well-placed, what you’re doing is actually an example of “toxic positivity.” Toxic positivity is the idea that people should be happy all the time and reject all their negative emotions. And it’s something a lot of teenagers were raised to believe.

So whenever they start to feel sad, frustrated, lonely, disappointed, or upset about something, it evokes feelings of guilt and shame that add to their emotional turmoil. There’s so much pressure to be happy all the time that it leads teenagers to repress all of their negative emotions instead of dealing with it in a way that allows them to grow and change for the better. Those kinds of unresolved emotions can quickly turn into anxiety and depression (Lukin, 2016). 

7. Lack of Emotional Skills

Years of care, time, and effort is put into developing our technical and academic knowledge that our emotional intelligence has sadly fallen to the wayside. So many of us never learn the emotional skills we need to succeed in life, like how to cope with our stress, handle our emotions, take care of our mental health, look after our relationships, move on from past trauma, and process our feelings. With such an increase in academic pressure and social stress, but no emotional skills to combat against it, teens all over the world are at serious risk for developing anxiety disorders and other mental illnesses (Schwartz, Snidman, & Kagan, 1999).

8. Lessened Stigma

Over time, people have come to understand just how serious mental illness can be. Many of us have been educated on the importance of our mental health as well as the nature of many common mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. Now that we’ve become more aware than ever about their prevalence and potential danger, the increasing incidence rates of anxiety in teens could be a good sign that there is a lesser stigma against mental illness when it comes to today’s generation. 

Whether it was out of shame or ignorance, psychologists believe there were plenty of people in the past in need of help but were sadly left undiagnosed or untreated. But because we now understand the value of professional help in treating our symptoms and managing our anxiety, thankfully many teens today feel comfortable enough to talk to their school guidance counselors about their problems and seek help for their anxiety, thus explaining a sudden rise in cases.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing serious anxiety, don’t hesitate to reach out to a mental healthcare professional today and get the help you need. As with any other kind of illness, it’s always important to recognize the signs of anxiety early on and get treatment as soon as possible.

References: 

• National Institute of Mental Health (2017). An Overview of Anxiety: Definitions and Statistics. Retrieved 05 May 2020 from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder.shtml
• Higher Education Research (2016). Academic Anxiety among Higher Education Students of India, Causes and Preventive Measures: An Exploratory Study. International Journal of Modern Social Sciences, 5(2); 102-116.
• Putwain, D. (2007). Researching academic stress and anxiety in students: some methodological considerations. British Educational Research Journal, 33(2), 207-219.
• La Greca, A. M., & Harrison, H. M. (2005). Adolescent peer relations, friendships, and romantic relationships: Do they predict social anxiety and depression?. Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology, 34(1), 49-61. 
• De Choudhury, M., Gamon, M., Counts, S., & Horvitz, E. (2013, June). Predicting depression via social media. In Seventh international AAAI conference on weblogs and social media.
• White, T. R. (2013). Digital social media detox (DSMD): Responding to a culture of interconnectivity. In Social media and the new academic environment: Pedagogical challenges (pp. 414-430). IGI Global.
• Lukin, K. (2016). “Toxic Positivity: Don’t Always Look on The Bright Side.” Psychology Today. Retrieved 05 May 2020 from https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-man-cave/201908/toxic-positivity-dont-always-look-the-bright-side%3famp
• Schwartz, C. E., Snidman, N., & Kagan, J. (1999). Adolescent social anxiety as an outcome of inhibited temperament in childhood. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 38(8), 1008-1015. 
• Franić, S., Middeldorp, C. M., Dolan, C. V., Ligthart, L., & Boomsma, D. I. (2010). Childhood and adolescent anxiety and depression: beyond heritability. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(8), 820-829.
• Fisak, B. J., Richard, D., & Mann, A. (2011). The prevention of child and adolescent anxiety: A meta-analytic review. Prevention Science, 12(3), 255-268