Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

I’m 16 years old and have health anxiety

Hello , I’m a 16 year female. I have terrible anxiety at the moment for the past few weeks it has resulted into physical symptoms, I had abdominal discomfort but that disappeared along with that i had acid reflux, then one day I started getting this sore throat, it feels like a pill is stuck in my throat, it doesn’t hurt when i swallow or anything and it don’t have difficulty breathing but it is annoying and i wish it would disappear i have no other symptoms, it doesn’t keep me up at night and these symptoms comes and goes , I do not have my tonsils anymore they were removed when I was younger, but now I have little bumps where my tonsils use to be , I have very high health anxiety and I get worried about these things , I’m scared to go to the doctor and I need advice on what this could be
3 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
973741 tn?1342342773
Ah, sweetie. I'm sorry you are so anxious.  I have teenagers and one in particular has dealt with anxiety for years that became severe. It's been very hard on him. The first thing I have to say is that you are 16!  That's a very hard time in a lot of people's life. Health anxiety and anxiety in general can be high as you navigate these years. But at 16, you still need the help of your parents. Does your mom (or dad) know about your anxiety?  My son's mental health really took a dive at 17 which put us in a whole world of learning everything they can do for mental health.  A psychologist can really help with strategies to cope. My son has found DBT therapy to be amazingly helpful. This is dialectical behavioral therapy.  Some information just to tell you a bit more about it is in the link.    Ithttps://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dialectical-behavioral-therapy  It has helped my son get a handle on the anxiety. The main components of it are:     Distress tolerance: Feeling intense emotions without a spiral,      Emotion regulation: Recognizing, labeling, and adjusting emotions,     Mindfulness: Becoming more aware of self and others and attentive to the present moment,     Interpersonal effectiveness: Navigating conflict and interacting assertively.
Living in the moment rather than projecting out or looking back.  Mindfulness. That is helpful for health anxiety.

There are lots of books on amazon for teens related to dbt and also just anxiety.  They do really help. My son was overwhelmed by seeing a whole book to do so we tear out a few pages at a time.  He likes this journal a lot too: "Put Your Worries Here: A Creative Journal for Teens with Anxiety (The Instant Help Guided Journal for Teens Series)" by Lisa Schab.

Anyway, these are just some thoughts. What ends up being just right for you will be individual. But I think the first step is telling your mom you need help with this. You can do it. Anxiety is something that can be treated and people DO learn how to manage it and live without the fear. Some anxiety is normal and healthy.  It keeps us safe, really.  But too much can be detrimental. So, working on how to cope with the too much could be forever good thing in your life. Let us know what you think.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
There was a bit of a recommendation above to take St. John's Wort, and I would recommend you not do that for the same reason you should try to fix this without medication.  That herb is actually for depression, not anxiety, but it does probably affect brain neurotransmitters and you're too young to be doing that unless all else has failed and your life is so significantly affected by this you can't function well anymore.  Camomile tea is fine; that is about the mildest herb there is.  Probably won't do much about anxiety, but might help with sleep and with stomach problems.  One way to limit reflux is to avoid lying down or reclining within a couple hours of eating.  Also, it really is highly affected by what you eat and when you eat it and how much you eat and how much you exercise or move.  It can be controlled without a doctor, and frankly, this isn't an area docs are all that good at and often go overboard in treating.  Because you say your anxiety is terrible, if that's so, and if it's so bad you're afraid to go to doctors because sometimes you will need to do that if only to get your annual physical, I think it might be time to talk to your folks and ask to see a psychologist about therapy.  At your age you are very adaptable, and in six months you might be completely over this.  Life changes so fast when you're that young.  Right now lots of things are changing fast, as you grow into a woman, bit it's also an incredibly fun age to be because things haven't really gotten "adult" yet.  There are lots of relaxation techniques that can help.  I'd also skip the naturopath at this point just as I'd skip the doctor, because one uses natural remedies and the other meds and you most likely don't really need either one at this point.  If it goes on a long time and keeps getting worse, though, then you can consider such things, but I think talk therapy will do just fine for you.  I'd also think about whether something happened to kick this off.  Look back to when it started and see if you can remember something happening that got to you.  That could be it.  I'm guessing this will pass.  Peace.
363281 tn?1643235611
Hello again, here is a site that my GP sent me when I was going through a lot of anxiety, etc, maybe it will help you as well.



https://www.neurosymptoms.org/
Helpful - 0
363281 tn?1643235611
Hello~I am sorry you are going through health anxiety and symptoms. It truly sounds to me like all your symptoms are due to high anxiety. That lump in the throat is common in folks that have anxiety as is stomach pain and acid reflux. I have written a blog on my page that shows the many symptoms that anxiety can cause, it is amazing.

I know you don't want to see a doctor, but if this continue, it might be a wise idea to do so anyway, he/she might be able to help with ideas or even drugs, although I do not like drugs with anxiety, but sometimes they are warranted . Better yet,  if  possible, I would see a Naturopath if there is one in your area, that is who I saw for my anxiety, they are terrific, they do all kinds of test that main stream physicians are not even familiar with, they listen to and really try to help.

If you really don't want to see a doctor, let me suggest taking a good, high potency vitamin "B" complex, these are considered the "nerve" vitamin, they have helped me when I am having panic attacks, anxiety, etc. Also, certain herbs are helpful such as St. John's Wort and Chamomile Tea. I would also add a good, multi-mineral complex as a lack of minerals such as calcium and magnesium can contribute to anxiety.

As I said, feel free to read my blog on my page, it might help you. I hope you feel better soon, anxiety is awful.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Anxiety Community

Top Anxiety Answerers
Avatar universal
Arlington, VA
370181 tn?1595629445
Arlington, WA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out what can trigger a panic attack – and what to do if you have one.
A guide to 10 common phobias.
Take control of tension today.
These simple pick-me-ups squash stress.
Don’t let the winter chill send your smile into deep hibernation. Try these 10 mood-boosting tips to get your happy back
Want to wake up rested and refreshed?