Anxiety can be an overwhelming state being, especially for teenagers. A lack of mental health education and support can lead many teens to struggle with anxiety without knowing. Increased academic, social, and economic pressures can make it challenging for teenagers to manage daily life and hormonal changes. A mental health treatment program is the best way to educate, diagnose, and treat adolescent anxiety.
Our team at Fort Behavioral Health is here to help a teenager in your life manage their anxiety. We proudly provide an extensive mental health treatment program for teenagers, including adolescent anxiety treatment programs with top clinicians in evidence-based and alternative therapies. Call us now at 844.332.1807 or contact us online to find the proper anxiety treatment for a teen in your life.
What Is Anxiety? Is it Different in Teenagers?
Anxiety is an overwhelming mental, physical, and emotional state. When something triggers anxiety, the nervous system goes into a state of dysregulation. This means that the brain tells the body it is no longer safe. Cortisol and adrenaline surge through the bloodstream, causing increased heart rate, trouble breathing, racing thoughts, and digestive problems. For many teenagers, an anxiety attack or persistent anxiety can be confusing and difficult to understand without mental health education or support.
Prolonged academic, social, and home stress can make it hard for teenagers to rest and reset their nervous systems. Once anxiety is triggered, it’s very difficult for the nervous system to re-regulate. This can cause other health problems, trouble concentrating, reactionary behavior, and trouble finishing schoolwork. It can lead many teens to live with irrational fears. Because anxiety is rooted in thinking about the past or worrying about the future, present moment awareness is the best approach to anxiety treatment.
Treating Adolescent Anxiety
Treating adolescent anxiety starts with a diagnosis. A trained clinician can diagnose your teen’s anxiety and look for co-occurring mood disorders. It’s common for someone to live with multiple mood disorders or self-medication with drugs, alcohol, or self-harming behavior to cope with anxiety. A therapist can help teens and their families unpack triggers, life history, and unresolved trauma to determine treatment.
Some approaches to adolescent anxiety treatment include:
- Nutrition counseling – Dietary changes like reducing caffeine, processed sugar, and food sensitivities can help minimize anxiety triggers and provide balanced nutrition.
- Exercise therapy – Exercise can help burn off adrenaline and cortisol while promoting the production of mood-balancing chemicals and promoting restful sleep.
- Mindfulness therapies – Mediation, yoga, somatic therapy, and other contemplative exercises help teens stay in the present moment and return to the present moment when they ruminate about the past or worry about the future. Even one-breath meditations can help dispel anxiety.
- Finding balance – Some teens might put too much pressure on themselves or feel too much pressure from home, work, or school. Anxiety therapists can help teens develop balance, create schedules, and identify triggers to know when it’s time to take a break and engage in self-care.
Treating anxiety is not a quick fix. Like all mood disorders, anxiety treatment is an ongoing process. In today’s stressful world, anxiety is common and treatable. One of the best ways to help your teen is to talk about your own mental health and experiences with mental health to reduce stigmas and begin healthy conversations about anxiety.
Discover Anxiety Treatment for Adolescents at Fort Behavioral Health
If your teen is showing signs of anxiety, don’t ignore these symptoms. Call Fort Behavioral Health today. Our mental health and addiction programs provide a dual diagnosis for comprehensive, holistic healing. With anxiety treatment programs for adolescents, teens in Fort Worth experience the mental health support, education, and treatment they need. Whether your teen is self-soothing with drugs and alcohol or is suffering from anxiety attacks, the team at Fort Behavioral Health can help. Our inpatient and outpatient programs give you and your family the support, flexibility, and continuum of care to help your teen thrive. Call Fort Behavioral Health at 844.332.1807 or fill out our online form to find the right treatment program for your teen.
