Jessica is constantly worrying.  From social interactions to her future, she is always anxious about something.  When Jessica brings up what she thinks is maybe an anxiety disorder, her mother shrugs it off.  Jessica begins to fear leaving the house and has panic attacks almost daily.  She has no one to talk to about her anxiety and ends up isolating herself from her friends.

Anxiety is the most common mental disorder in the U.S. according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.  Some types of anxiety are social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and specific phobias disorder.  Among teen’s ages 13-18 years old, a large, national survey conducted by the National Institutes of Mental Health found that eight percent have an anxiety disorder.  Depression can come in many different forms as well.  There is major depression, persistent depressive disorder, psychotic depression, seasonal affective disorder, and manic-depressive illness.  By the time teens turn 18 years old, 11 percent will be faced with a depressive disorder.
`           Teens who suffer from depression/anxiety often feel as if they don’t have anyone to talk to.  That is why a group of high school students from Tri-Tech Skills Center in Kennewick, Washington made the app ‘Safe & Sound.’  This app is designed to help teens with depression and anxiety according to a recent story on National Public Radio.  Users are able to learn about different types of anxiety and depression.  It has a journal space to type or record their thoughts and feelings.  There is a section to set goals so the user can see their accomplishments.  There are tips for handling daily stresses and the phone numbers of hotlines for those who need someone to talk to.  The app also has breathing exercises that play music and it gives daily inspirational quotes.

These teens were inspired to create the app after a school shooting in Washington in October 2014.  In addition, Amanda Arellano’s cousin committed suicide because he felt he had no one to talk to about the way he was feeling.  They created the app ‘Safe & Sound’ to prevent school shootings and to help teens deal with difficult issues such as suicide.  They hope this app will help teens deal with their anxiety and depression.

Different anxieties can lead to different symptoms but the general symptoms include feelings of panic, fear, and uneasiness, trouble sleeping, cold or sweaty hands and/or feet, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, inability to be still and calm, dry mouth, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet, nausea, muscle tension, and dizziness.  The following are symptoms of depression according to WebMD:  withdrawal from friends, loss of interests/ activities they used to enjoy, significant weight loss or gain, poor performance at school or job, frequent complaints of illness (e.g., headaches, stomachaches), prolonged sadness, anxiety or feeling of hopelessness, belief that life is meaningless, and preoccupation with death and dying.

“School is a major factor in my anxiety,” said one VHS student.  The pressures of school often makes students, even students without anxiety disorders, feel very anxious.  Stressing over GPAs, getting accepted to college, and standardized tests, teens experience more anxiety due to school now than they did in the past.

While it is common to feel anxious about taking a hard final, there is a distinction between feeling anxious over a grade and having an anxiety disorder.  Everyone experiences certain anxieties through life but people with anxiety can experience anxiety over irrational thoughts.  Knowing the difference between “teen angst” and anxiety and/or depression is very important.  Teen angst is feeling anxious/depressed about the future, school, and growing up.  This is typical among teens.  Anxiety and depression are more serious than worrying about the future and finding yourself.