Anxiety symptoms could affect depressed adolescents
TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2013 11:18 AM

A total of 40 million adults in the U.S. have anxiety disorders, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. With so many individuals affected by these conditions, it is essential for people to recognize the signs of anxiety disorders as early as possible.

One way to identify early symptoms among adolescents may be to have them take a personality test. If these individuals show signs of depression, they could be at risk of developing anxiety, based on the results of a recent study from Southern Methodist University.

Overall, there were three risk factors that increased adolescents' odds of developing anxiety. In addition to displaying symptoms of depression, these youths also had either a pessimistic outlook on life, low-quality family relationships or mothers with a history of anxiety. Ultimately, it is important to identify signs of anxiety among adolescents before it can harm their personal and academic development.

"Anxiety can manifest as social phobia, in which kids are afraid to interact with friends and teachers, or in school refusal, in which children try to avoid going to school," said Chrystyna D. Kouros, the psychologist who led the study.