Adolescents · 5 min read
When anxiety shows up in adolescence
Adolescent anxiety can look like avoidance, irritability, perfectionism, or a body that never seems to settle.
By Issy Kleiman, MA, LMFT · AAMFT Approved Supervisor
Young people may not always describe anxiety as worry. It can show up as not wanting to go to school, difficulty sleeping, physical complaints, anger, or an intense need to get something exactly right.
Understanding the message behind the behavior helps us respond with more than pressure. Therapy can give adolescents language for what is happening and give families ways to support change without turning every conversation into a battle.
The first step is often a slower, kinder question: what has become too much to carry alone?