SSRIs are used for anxiety treatment more often than SNRIs or tricyclic antidepressants.Īnti-Anxiety Medication Pros for Teenagers In addition, a significant number of people affected by anxiety disorders also have symptoms of major depression or some other depressive disorder. First, these medications can have a direct positive impact on the severity of anxiety-related symptoms. Tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., imipramine and amitriptyline) work by altering the brain levels of several chemicals.Īntidepressants are used to treat anxiety disorders for two reasons. SNRIs (e.g., venlafaxine and duloxetine) work by increasing the brain’s supply of serotonin and mood-regulating norepinephrine. Well-known examples of these medications include fluoxetine, citalopram, paroxetine and citalopram. SSRIs work by increasing the brain’s supply of the naturally occurring, mood-stabilizing chemical serotonin. The most commonly used medications include three types of antidepressants: SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants.

Anti-Anxiety MedicationsĪlong with several forms of cognitive-behavioral therapy, medications are an accepted part of treatment for teenagers dealing with the effects of anxiety disorders. However, they may have particularly heightened chances of developing diagnosable symptoms of panic attacks, panic disorder (marked by repeated panic attacks), social phobia (also known as social anxiety disorder) and other phobia-related conditions. Teens can potentially develop any of the anxiety disorders that affect adults. Purposeful involvement in dangerous situations.Reduced communication with parents and other authority figures.Even in the absence of clinically severe mental health symptoms, the strain of these stresses can lead to such things as: Teenagers and AnxietyĪnxiety is common among teenagers, who typically go through tremendous changes in their biology, outward physical appearance and social world. Each disorder in this category comes with its own identifiable symptoms, which doctors look for when making their examinations. The American Psychiatric Association has set official guidelines for the diagnosis of eight main anxiety-related conditions, as well as four, less precisely defined secondary conditions. While unpleasant, this sensation causes no lasting problems.Ī person affected by an anxiety disorder experiences unusually strong or misplaced feelings of anxiety when encountering circumstances that don’t create a lot of stress for most other people. Most people are very familiar with the temporary anxiety that arises in response to specific circumstances. Human beings have long relied on this feeling as a motivating reaction to highly stressful situations that could cause harm or endanger their lives. Anxiety and Anxiety DisordersĪt its root, anxiety is a completely natural feeling of intense worry and apprehension. While these medications can produce tremendous benefits, they also come with some potentially serious risks for a few teenagers. Most of those affected do not receive proper treatment, however many teens do receive a course of treatment that includes anti-anxiety medications. Roughly one-quarter of all American teenagers will develop symptoms of an anxiety disorder at some point during adolescence.

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