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Dayana Gonzalez Trinidad

Prof. Maple

Eng. 101-45

11/6/2019

Why is Anxiety in Young People so common?

Anxiety, the natural response of your body in situations of extreme stress and pressure. Anxiety

is a feeling of fear about what the person might be thinking is about to come to their lives. This is

something natural and normal, but it can become really dangerous to the point of becoming a

disorder. Anxiety can become a disorder when it becomes uncontrollable and is caused by not so

logical situations sometimes (“Anxiety: Causes,”). There are different types of anxiety disorders

and these are becoming more common in young people nowadays. Anxiety in young people is

increasing and there are several reasons people say this is happening.

The different types of anxiety disorders can vary depending on the situation. Some of these are

panic attacks, phobias, social anxiety disorders, separation anxiety disorder, Post-traumatic stress

disorder (PTSD), and more. All of these have their symptoms but some symptoms that are more

common towards anxiety are, excessive worry, lack of concentration, unwanted thoughts,

insomnia, irritability, and many more (“Anxiety: Causes,”). These symptoms can cause

abnormalities in the life of people which can bring more problems and increase anxiety. Anxiety

can cause many problems in the life of young people like suicidal thoughts or mental illnesses.
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Anxiety is becoming more common in young people and there is not an exact answer on why

this is happening, but there are different opinions on different factors that can be the cause of this

increase of anxiety. One of the most common causes is the internet and social media. Young

people are constantly on social media and this can cause many things that can lead to anxiety.

Social media exposes people to have thoughts of feeling less as a person, can make people feel

like they are alone and can also lead to addiction in really extreme cases. This is something that

everyone is exposed to and can be very influential on the increase of anxiety that is occurring in

young people (“Anxiety in Teens is rising”). In social media, anyone can see so many different

things that it can become overwhelming. Many people post about their lives on social media and

this can make people feel insecure about themselves and feel like they always need more to be

“perfect”. Because of the way society is made up, many people think they should be like others

they see on social media and they put unrealistic goals in their lives. This can lead to depression

and anxiety disorders.

Another opinion on why this so common today it’s because of the high expectations and pressure

to succeed that is put into young people nowadays. Schoolwork, exams, getting into college,

money for education, responsibilities out of school, work, and a lot of different things young

people have to go through every day (“Anxiety in Teens is rising”). Many parents can also put a

lot of pressure on their kids and this can lead to anxiety. Because they are humans just like

everyone, they can only handle things to a certain extent. Society makes others act like young

people can do everything but in reality, they are starting to learn things and life, these two and

with pressure can be extremely stressful. Many people not only young, can suffer anxiety
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because of this. Society is one of the main factors of these disorders becoming common every

day.

Anxiety problems can have many effects on young people’s life. Certainly, it can negatively

affect many things like friendships, family relationships, participation in extracurricular

activities, and even their schoolwork. This can cause a big change in people’s life because when

feelings of anxiety interfere with normal daily living, the presence of an anxiety disorder should

be highly considered, and it should be treated rapidly for the person to overcome it before it gets

worse. (PsyCom, 2nd paragraph) A big cause that can interfere with our daily life is insomnia.

This can be caused because of the excessive worry and thinking or panic a person may have,

depending on the issue they are going through that is causing them anxiety. (“Medical Facts.”

Page 2) Anxiety is a problem that can be wide when talking about causes and effects because it

can affect every aspect of a person's lives.

Anxiety can affect a person’s social life, physical, and health. This means this is an issue that

people need to take more serious and do something to try to fix it. Anxiety is a treatable disorder,

but it seems like people are not aware of that because “according to the Anxiety and Depression

Association of America, 80% of kids with a diagnosable anxiety disorder are not getting

treatment”. Some of the treatments that are more effective for this are CBT (Cognitive-

Behavioral therapy), and SSRI’s (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). (“Anxiety in Teens is

rising”). These are only therapy and medical treatment which are the most effective but there is

also a natural treatment for anxiety. A change of lifestyle can be very challenging for a person

suffering from an anxiety disorder, but it can give great results. “Most of the natural “remedies”
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consist of caring for your body, participating in healthy activities, and eliminating unhealthy

ones.” (“Anxiety: Causes,”)

In conclusion, Anxiety is a very serious disease, and that is increasing over time. It is a big issue

among young people and several reasons are contributing to it, which can make it harder to stop.

There are treatments for it, but people are not aware of them correctly and that leads to an

increase of the issue with no decreasing. I think people should be more aware of these and the

different causes of it. Many young people show symptoms of anxiety disorders every day but

because no one is aware of the issue no one does anything. Anxiety is something we can notice

every day if we just look around. Informing everyone about anxiety and diagnosing young

people that have it so they can get the right treatment can be the best thing to stop the problem.
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Works Cited:

 “Anxiety in Teens Is Rising: What's Going On?” HealthyChildren.org,

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-
problems/Pages/Anxiety-Disorders.aspx.
 “Anxiety: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, and More.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 17
Sept. 2019, https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety#types.
 Hurley, Katie. “Anxiety in Teens: The Hidden Signs of Teen Anxiety You Need to
Know.” Psycom.net - Mental Health Treatment Resource Since 1986,
https://www.psycom.net/hidden-signs-teen-anxiety/.
 Frontend, et al. “Medical Facts About Anxiety You Need To Know - HealthPrep - Page
3.” HealthPrep, 27 June 2019, https://healthprep.com/conditions/7-medical-facts-about-
anxiety-you-need-to-know/3/.