Anxiety cont.
attack. It is therefore important for the young person to have a medical assessment to determine whether they are experiencing a panic attack or a physical medical issue. Mixed anxiety and depression Many young people with anxiety don’t experience signs that fit neatly into a particular type of anxiety disorder. It is common for young people to experience some features of several anxiety disorders at the same time. A high level of anxiety over a long period will often lead to depression and long periods of depression can also bring about symptoms of anxiety. Many young people have a mixture of anxiety and depression as a result. Acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Acute stress disorder and PTSD can develop after a traumatic event. This event may involve actual or threatened death, serious injury, or abuse (which can be sexual, physical, or emotional). Alternatively, the young person may have witnessed such an event. In other cases, learning that such an event has happened to a family member or close friend might trigger acute stress disorder or PTSD. In acute stress disorder, the anxiety signs will begin to fade, and the young person will begin to resume their normal activities within a month. In PTSD, the signs will continue for longer. Only some young people experiencing acute stress disorder will go on to develop PTSD. Young people are more likely to develop PTSD if their response to the traumatic event involves intense fear, helplessness, or horror (192). A young person with acute stress disorder or PTSD may: – Re-experience the trauma (such as through recurring dreams of the event, flashbacks, and intrusive memories)
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