New Lifehouse Academy understands that you want to find help now for your teen girl who struggles with anxiety disorders or phobias. Please take a moment to look over this article, and then give us a call, (918) 435-8206.
The adolescent years in a teen’s life is very challenging as they go through various stages of physical and emotional development. The National Institute of Mental Health states anxiety is a normal reaction to stress; in general, it helps the person to cope, however, when anxiety becomes an excessive irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder. Dacey and Fiore in their book Your Anxious Child reports that between 8 and 10 percent of American children and adolescents are seriously troubled by anxiety and it is currently the most prevalent psychiatric diagnosis in those sixteen years old and younger.
Parents of an anxious teen sometimes find it difficult to know whether their teen’s worries are harmless “what ifs” or if she is really having a serious problem. For an anxious teen, normal activities can become stressful and challenging and seem like a mountain that they will need to climb over.
There are various types of anxiety disorders that children and teens will experience such as social phobia, agoraphobia, panic disorder, general anxiety disorder, separation anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder to name a few.
Symptoms of Anxiety Phobias and Disorders:
Social phobias tend to surface during adolescent years especially among excessively shy teens. Teens will avoid social situations even among their peers because they feel they’ll perform badly or be embarrassed.
Teens who suffer from agoraphobia may experience strong anxiety when they find themselves in circumstances in which they feel vulnerable. They feel they’ll be criticized if they walk away from a difficult situation therefore, they dwell on the feelings of being trapped. Teens with agoraphobia feel safest at home which will sometimes disrupt their lives and their family’s life.
Some symptoms of panic disorder are increased heart rate, sweating, chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, feelings of unrealistic detachment from self and fear of losing control or going crazy.
While symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder are restlessness, tiredness, difficulty concentrating, irritability and sleep disturbance. Teens with obsessive compulsive disorder will show signs such as excessively washing of hands, counting and checking everything twice before leaving the house.
New Lifehouse – Offering a Unique Approach for your Troubled Girl with Anxiety Disorder
We are a lower cost Christian boarding school designed for troubled or misbehaving girls, ages 14-18. Our goal is to provide teenage girls and their families with the tools and resources to help them begin to thrive academically, relationally and spiritually. We help once troubled girls begin living a fulfilling life, equipping them to become happy, confident, self-reliant and successful adults.
Teen Challenge Oklahoma’s New Lifehouse Academy is nestled at the foothills of the Ozarks near Grand Lake on a 40-acre picturesque and peaceful property, with access nearby to over 900 acres of property with a large creek, wooded hills and trails.
Again, if your teen girl needs help with anxiety issues, please call us at (918) 435-8206. We can help her be better prepared to meet life’s challenges and become a whole young woman.
