Teens and College Students | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA

11.11.2009

Teens and college students can easily feel anxious trying to juggle school, work, friends, and family while trying to figure out the rest of your life. Most of us bounce back. But frequent, intense, and uncontrollable anxiety that interferes with your daily routines may be a sign of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety Disorders are one of the most common mental health problems on college campuses. Learn the difference between everyday anxiety and an anxiety disorder.

Click here to download ADAA's College and Mental Health infographic.

Facts & Statistics

50% of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin developing by age 14.
75% of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin developing by age 24.
8-10 years is the average delay between onset and intervention.
The 2nd leading cause of death in youth ages 10-24 is suicide.
50% of students age 14 or older with a mental illness drop out of high school.
70% of youth in state and local juvenile justice systems have a mental illness

Sources: NAMI.org and CDC.gov

An estimated 31.9% of adolescents had any anxiety disorder.
Of adolescents with any anxiety disorder, an estimated 8.3% had severe impairment. DSM-IV criteria were used to determine impairment.
The prevalence of any anxiety disorder among adolescents was higher for females (38.0%) than for males (26.1%).
The prevalence of any anxiety disorder was similar across age groups.

Based on diagnostic interview data from National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A)