Anxiety In Adolescent Girls Written by Sadie Wirthlin Anxiety and depression has become aare common words in today’s vocabulary world. Endless opportunities and The world’sa fast- paced environment,— coupled with technology and social media,— makes it difficulthard for anyone to step back and take a deep breath. Research is finding that anxiety has been on the rise over the last decade—, this anxiety is increasing, especially in teenage girls. Psychologist Dr. Leonard Sax, MD, PhD, wrote in the New York Times about this phenomenon. In one of his many cases, Dr. Sax found that two siblings, a boy and a girl in their teenage years, had very different levels of anxiety. The teenage boy had sliding grades in school, but he seemed happy and content spending his time playing video games. The teenage girl was an active, popular, straight-A student, and pictureperfect on the outside.; o On the inside, however, she was falling apart. She had been experiencing a great deal of anxiousness, coupled with and personal abuse, and she hadn’t told anyone about it. In 2014, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention saw their highest percentage increase when the suicide rate for girls between the ages of 10 and 14 tripled. This age group of early adolescence is a sensitive time for both boys and girls, but for some reason, anxiety seems to skyrocket in girls after they begin puberty; this makes girls twice as likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than boys. Studies show that about 22 percent of adolescent girls have an anxiety phobia, a concern that has been on the mind of researchers for years as they have tried to find why teenage girls are more prone to anxiety than their male peers. Some research shows states that that theis anxiety difference in adolescent girls compared to boysbetween boys and girls is associated with body dissatisfaction and the use of social media. Girls are more likely to pick themselves apart as their bodies develop, and they end up fishing for gratification from Instagram “selfies.” Boys, on the other hand, become more satisfied with their bodies around this age and are more likely to post a picture emphasizing something they have done, rather than how they look. Boys may be at a lower risk for the potentially toxic effects of social media can have and the reasons for this are as follows:because they generally lack of investment in what others think, overestimateing how interesting their own life is, and spending more of their time doing other activitiesactivities other outside thanof perusing through social media. Many girls, on the other hand, spend a large portion of their day scrolling through Instagram and Snapchatsocial media sites, , constantly comparing their bodies and current life activities to their friends’. Not all of these factors are easily changedIn most cases, girls who suffer from anxiety don’t get the help they need., Bbut, according to Dr. Sax, suggests parents can help reduce the odds of their children developing anxiety by a few simple
habitsimprove these odds for adolescents.. First, parents can minimize the amount of time he or sheteenagers spend alones in their bedroom alone. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that promoting home activities that are done in a public rather than a private setting may be an important protection. Regular family interaction gives parents the opportunity to observe what is going on, and they surrounds the child with a more open environment, instead of being stuck alone with comparing comparative and self-degrading thoughts. This also means no screens (TV’s or, computers) in the bedroom, which tend to isolate children from the family. Second, parents can make dinnersuppertime a priority with positive and, appropriate, family conversation. In order to make this effective, it may be important for parents exclude and no cellphones from the dinner table.. This can be a time for a young girls to feel real, meaningful interaction and praise from the people who matter. Third, while driving in the car, set a rule for no ear budsparents can set a rule for no ear buds while driving in the car. The art of conversation is important and needs to be taught in an atmosphere where parent and child can both talk and listen to each other. . These techniques may help, but Certain situations, depending on the level of anxietyanxiety levels differ among for the adolescents, and treatment could require more than public settings activities and family conversations. When needed, tThe use of medication and professional counseling can be a wonderful and extremely helpful treatment. The most important treatment, however, is family time and love. Sources: Why Do Girls Tend to Have More Anxiety Than Boys?, by Leonard Sax, M.D., PH.D. April 21, 2016, nytimes.com Why are American girls so anxious? by Jennifer Graham. May 10, 2016, national.deseretnews.com