Teen Anxiety Is Common, and Often Goes Untreated

Most parents expect some worry in the teenage years: a big exam, a new school, a friendship that suddenly feels uncertain. A study published in October in JAMA Pediatrics suggests that for a large number of young people, anxiety reaches well past those ordinary moments, and that many of them are not getting help.

What the researchers found

The research team, led by Dr. Tanner J. Bommersbach, drew on the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which is designed to represent the country as a whole. Their analysis included 15,730 young people between the ages of 12 and 20 who had answered the GAD-7, a seven-question screening questionnaire about anxious feelings.

By the study's count, 16.8 percent of these young people, roughly one in six, reported moderate or severe anxiety symptoms, and another 23.7 percent reported mild symptoms. The differences between groups were marked. Severe symptoms were reported by 10.8 percent of female adolescents and 3.7 percent of male adolescents; moderate symptoms by 13.4 percent of females and 6.0 percent of males.

Anxiety rarely arrived alone. Among teens with severe symptoms, 65.8 percent had had a major depressive episode in the past year, 48.2 percent had had thoughts of suicide in the past year, and 31.0 percent reported substance use in the past month.

Many teens are not getting care

The finding about treatment may matter most. Of the adolescents with severe anxiety symptoms, 41.2 percent had received no mental health treatment at all in the previous year; among those with moderate symptoms, 48.3 percent had not. Treatment was less likely for male adolescents, for adolescents from racial and ethnic minority groups, and for adolescents without health insurance. The authors call for earlier identification and easier access to evidence-based care.

It helps to keep in mind what a study like this can and cannot say. It is a snapshot taken at one point in time, so it describes how common anxiety symptoms are, not what causes them. The GAD-7 is a screening tool, not a diagnosis; a high score is a reason for a closer look, which is what a careful evaluation provides.

When worry becomes more than stress

Everyday nervousness rises and falls with the situation and eases once the moment passes. Anxiety that deserves attention is more persistent, and it begins to shape a young person's choices and routines. Parents and caregivers may notice:

• Worry that seems constant, or out of proportion to what is happening
• Avoiding school, activities, friends, or situations they used to handle
• Trouble sleeping, frequent headaches or stomachaches, or feeling tense and on edge
• Irritability, difficulty concentrating, or a sudden drop in grades
• Needing a great deal of reassurance before ordinary tasks

If you see patterns like these, a calm, open conversation is a good place to start. Asking what has felt hard lately, and listening without rushing to fix it, helps a teen feel understood. A pediatrician, family doctor, or school counselor can be a good first step too, and a brief screening questionnaire can show whether a fuller assessment makes sense.

Support can start with one conversation

Anxiety is a common concern, and there are well-established ways to address it. We see clients of all ages, and with adolescents the work usually involves the family: a parent or guardian takes part in consent and planning, and before we start, everyone agrees on what stays between the clinician and the young person and what comes back home. Our primary approach is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which helps a teenager see how thoughts, feelings, and behavior feed one another, and then practice, step by step, the situations that worry has been pushing them away from. We adapt it to each young person with cultural awareness, usually in weekly sessions over roughly 8 to 16 weeks, and we do not offer a quick fix. When anxiety overlaps with low mood or attention concerns, a psychological evaluation can bring diagnostic clarity. We see clients in person at our Flagstaff office and by secure telehealth.

If a young person is having thoughts of suicide or is in emotional distress, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, any time of day or night. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

If you are concerned about a teen in your life, or you are a young person who recognizes yourself in these findings, you do not have to sort it out alone. You can read about how we approach anxiety, learn about our work with young adults, or contact our office with any questions.

Source: Estimates of Anxiety Symptoms Among US Adolescents, JAMA Pediatrics, October 12, 2026.

This post shares general information and is not a substitute for professional care.