1. What causes anxiety disorders and how does that affect adolescents?
Katie Brandon
The person focused on is Caroline, a 17 year old high school senior. She is suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

2. Research Questions What is an Anxiety Disorder?
What Causes an Anxiety Disorder?
How can you treat an Anxiety Disorder?
What would Freud say about the cause of Anxiety Disorders?

3. What is an Anxiety Disorder?
Anxiety disorders are identified by anxiety that does not go away after a stressful situation, or continuously worsens over time.
There are many kinds of Anxiety disorders such as:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) –main focus
Panic Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder
National Institute of Mental Health

4. What Causes Anxiety (GAD)
Some think there are family ties that may cause it, but they are not really sure about that (NIMH)
From a personal perspective school and the pressure put on students to succeed appears to play a role.
National Institute of Mental Health on GAD

5. How can you treat it?
Some people are prescribed antidepressants to help with the anxiety.
Antianxiety medication
Some find help through Psychotherapy- “talk therapy”
Support groups
Stress management techniques

6. Physical development
People with Anxiety disorders will often have trouble sleeping.
They also might suffer from muscle tightness, headaches, or nausea
Caroline had constant nausea and trouble sleeping. This kept her from eating properly, and getting enough rest to allow her body to physically develop properly. The lack of food and sleep caused quick weight loss. Over the span of 2 weeks she managed to lose approximately 15 pounds.

7. Cognitive development
Caroline was not sleeping or eating properly which made her brain develop slower.
On top of affecting development, Caroline is finding it increasingly more difficult to focus in the classroom.

8. Personality Development
Caroline has developed her personality at least partially at this point in her life, but her anxiety will affect any further development because she is weary of new situations or anything that is not particularly familiar.
It is also worth noting that her personality traits may change if or when she gets treatment because her habits when she is feeling anxious may decrease or subside.

9. Social Development
Though Caroline does not struggle with Social Anxiety she struggles to grow and interact socially with her friends and new people because she is obsessing over her fears

10. Psychodynamic Perspective
Freud’s Psychoanalytic theory would suggest that the anxiety is caused by something that happened to Caroline earlier in her life.
The anxiety is just that showing through
Modern researchers would not disagree with this
NIMH says on risk factor is “Exposure to stressful life events in childhood and adulthood”
National Institute of Mental Health

11. Evolutionary Perspective
Darwin would try to peg anxiety on genetics.
He might not be wrong, but we are not really sure
There appears to be a correlation between parents or close family members sharing anxiety, but nothing is concrete
Caroline’s mother also suffered with anxiety for a time in her life, and still does, but it is not as severe as before

12. Sources
Anxiety Disorders. (2016, March). Retrieved April 05, 2017, from
Generalized Anxiety Disorder: When Worry Gets Out of Control. (2016). Retrieved April 5, 2017, from