Kids with anxiety, what to do?

I have 3 kids and 2 of them have some social anxiety. They’re ok with people they know but are afraid to talk to people they don’t know. They both somehow manage to make friends but don’t hang out with friends as much as my daughter who doesn’t have anxiety. They get nervous to reach out to their friends to do something. I had the same type of anxiety starting in 8th grade, so know how they feel.

My dilemma is whether I should seek out treatment for their anxiety or let things be. I’d really hate to start them on meds at a young age (15 and 16). At the same time, don’t want their life to be held back bc of anxiety.

Anyone else deal with that? What type of treatment is usually used in teens with social anxiety?

Thanks!

Thanks Karen... that’s probably good to try as well. Don’t know if therapy alone will help enough especially if the anxiety is caused by chemical imbalance, but I think it would help them learn to cope with their feelings better and change their thought process. Now I have to convince them to go!

Inspiredby3, I think it's good that you're concerned about the fact that your two of your three children are experiencing tough social anxiety issues. Being concerned about it increases the chances that you'll at least try to do something about it, whether it be having your kids see a doctor and/or a therapist.

At that age, I think therapy is most likely to succeed if the kids want the help. Maybe ask them and see what they say.

Stigma is an issue, especially for teenagers. So framing this less in terms of pathology (“mental health treatment for your anxiety disorder”) and more as “some advice about ways to navigate the social pressures that pretty much all teenagers face” could be useful.

I had a teenager in therapy some years ago ..