Blog

Deb Gleeson - 22 May 2017

What was happening to the thought processes of the Sydney teenage that ended up in America with a killer?

Did anxiety contribute to what happened? 

Everyone is an individual and there must have been many issues with bearing on the decisions the Sydney teenager made...we know that she had Anxiety and this would have had some bearing on her thought processes. Teenage years are notorious for making bad decisions, most teenagers come out of these years and bad decisions a bit wiser and ready to become responsible adults but for some the consequences of the bad decisions made can be heavy.

Anxiety disorders in teenagers are serious mental health problems. Anxiety disorders affect how teenagers think, feel and behave. It's important to seek professional help if you see any of the warning signs of anxiety disorders in your child.

Anxiety disorders can be especially serious for young people, because young people are still developing. If left untreated, anxiety disorders in teenagers can have long-term consequences for mental health and development.

What you may notice in a teenager with anxiety:

Emotional and behavioural symptoms

• feeling constantly agitated, tense, restless or unable to stop or control worrying – might seem unable to relax
• being very sensitive to criticism or extremely self-conscious or uncomfortable in social situations
• always expect the worst to happen or seem to worry too much or in a way that's out of proportion to problems or situations
• avoid difficult or new situations, or have difficulty facing new challenges
• be withdrawn or very shy, or avoid social activities
• feel that they must do a particular action
• have obsessive thoughts or images that they say they can't get out of their head.

Physical symptoms

• have tense or sore muscles
• go to the toilet more than usual
• have a racing heart, sweating, headaches, stomach aches or nausea
• have sleeping problems, like trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking early.

Thinking symptoms

• have trouble concentrating
• often seem forgetful or distracted
• put things off – for example, have trouble starting or completing schoolwork.
• Have thought distortions like making mountains out of molehills or very black and white thinking, see more about thought distortions by clicking here.

Let's face it anxiety problems might be hard to spot. Teenagers are good at hiding their feelings and thoughts. The might even mask their feeling with aggressive behaviour or withdrawal. There are several different types of anxiety disorders in teenagers and they all come with different symptoms and not every teenager will have the same symptoms.

So what can parents do?..... If you are concerned that your teenager may have anxiety please talk to them about it. Mental Health First Aid training gives participants real skills to be able to have these types of conversations. Anxiety is the most easily treatable of all the mental illnesses, real help is available! Don't put it off...talk to your teenager now. Parents and friends being accepting,knowledgeable and supportive in getting appropriate professional help are one of the most important factors for recovery.

As some of you know I have a daughter with an Anxiety Disorder. It wasn't easy being her mother during her teenage years and I made mistakes on how I handled it BUT I did talk to her and she knew I was there if she wanted help. Today she is nearly 40 and has a university degree, is married and has two beautiful children...and so much more. If you are a parent of a teenager with anxiety hold on in there. Do the best you can and just let them know you are there for them.

Remember Mental Health is everyone's business