Anxiety is the ‘new pandemic’ for teens and young adults

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — It’s been called “the new pandemic.” Anxiety has increased dramatically among ages 12-30 over the past 30 years.

Joanna Reital, age 26, said she now realizes she has been struggling with anxiety since her teen years but was reluctant to talk about it. It reached a peek at the end of her college years, and now that she has started her career, she is taking more control of her mental health.

“Anxiety was my biggest setback in high school and college,” Reital said. “The medicine, along with therapy, have helped my moods. My counselor helps me navigate through things, while the medicines help my thinking and moods.”

Her lesson is also her message: “Be your own advocate, or find someone who will help you advocate for your mental health.”

Studies show this is more important now than at any time for teens and young adults, since this age groups has seen a 52% increase in anxiety disorder diagnoses since 1990, according to the Journal “Frontiers of Psychiatry.”

Furthermore, a growing portion of the $282 million spent on anxiety medication last year was among teens and young adults. Kris Campbell, co-CEO of Family Guidance, said the top culprit, according to all the recent studies on adolescent anxiety, is social media.

“Almost a third of adolescents between 13 and 18 will develop an anxiety disorder, according to research,” Campbell said. “Leading research now shows that social media plays a key role in this rise in anxiety.”

Campbell said that parents and guardians can establish a balanced approach with their kids and teens that can protect them from the negatives of social media without denying them opportunities for growth.

“At Family Guidance, we are starting to recommend no smart phones until around the age of 16, in response to the data,” Campbell said. “Parents can sit down and have conversations with their children about the difference between privacy and secrecy.”

She added that privacy is something that increases with age and gives healthy space for a growing teen. However, secrecy should not be part of the household, especially when it comes to social media usage. Campbell said there are just too many dangers and landmines that can harm youth and even young adults.

Although smart phones and other social media are key contributors to the rise in anxiety, other factors have also made anxiety growing reality among younger people. Economic, social and health issues also contribute to the rise in anxiety. This means that coping tools like anti-anxiety medication are also on the rise. While many brands of this kind of medication continue to grow in popularity, the two major categories are prescribed based upon the specific affect they have on the brain, according to Ed Smith, longtime pharmacist at Stevenson Family Pharmacy.

“The two main categories are SSRI’s and benzodiazepines,” Smith said. “The SSRIs are usually a longer term solution, because they affect the release and uptake of a brain chemical called sertonin, a natural mood stabilizer.”

The other key type, according to Smith, which are benzodiazepines, slow down brain activity and include drugs like Xanax and Ativan. SSRI’s tend to simply delay the uptake of seratonin, stabilizing the mood over time, while benzodiazepines activate the brain’s receptors.

Smith added that during over a decade in the St. Joseph area, he has seen a rise in both categories of these prescriptions. This tracks with national trends.

For Joanna Reital, the SSRI called Lexapro has provided a needed balance.

“The medications help me to go into a clearer mindset at work,” Reital said. “They help me focus better and not have to constantly struggle to think straight.”

Local pediatrician Dr. Amanda Williams at Peacock Pediatrics, said the decision to place children or young adults on medication is part of a process that involves many factors.

“We start with the things they can do on their own,” Williams said. “These include getting plenty of exercise, getting enough sunlight and limiting screen time.”

Then, according to Williams, therapy is the next step. This is meant to give clarity and tools for adolescents and young adults to manage their environment and interactions better.

“If after engaging in therapy they’re still struggling, the natural progression at that point would be to start medication,” Williams said.

Both Williams and Kris Campbell said that counseling is an important partner with the medication, since the medication works on the brain and its chemicals to help bring some clarity, while therapy helps young people process feelings and make choices that will further their mental health.

Williams added that having an adult outside of therapy to whom the child or young adult can go in order to “check in” about the medications and overall mental health is important, too. The community approach to mental health with trusted adults in the young person’s life can take away the stigma that may be associated with anxiety and provide proper checks and balances for the ongoing work of medication, therapy and personal life choices.

For immediate mental health assistance, including suicidal thoughts, dial 988, the national mental health crisis line. For other questions about mental health, including medication, start with your local physician.