Hi, everyone! Anxiety in Teens is starting a new section, every Monday, called Mention it to Morgs. Mention it to Morgs will be a question and answer section, where I will post the questions that I receive via email each week and answer them to my best ability!
In case you are wondering who you’re writing these questions to, my name is Morgan (but everyone calls me Morgs), and I am 21 years old. I am originally from a Chicago suburb, but I’m now a student at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities majoring in Communication Studies with a minor in Design and a minor in Leadership! I am very creative and love to do arts & crafts and to bake. I am all about my friends and family! Most importantly for this column, I am super passionate about raising mental health awareness, so ask away!
I understand that this is now Wednesday, but I actually just got back from sitting on a beach in Mexico! I hope everyone is having great spring breaks! It’s a wonderful time to relax!
QUESTION:
I’m 16, and I get anxiety or panic attacks a lot. They’re mostly about school and pressure from my parents. I’ll shake, cry, and just have trouble breathing. I freak out like this all the time, and I have no clue how to ask my parents to get me some help. They’ve really only been around during one or two of these anxiety attacks, so when I try to bring up the subject to them, they don’t me seriously. How can I talk to them so I can be taken seriously so I can ask for help?
ANSWER:
Thank you for your question! You sound like me when I was 16. School is a huge trigger of stress and anxiety. The first thing I would do if you don’t think your parents will take you seriously is research. I would research anxiety attacks and show them how serious it is. Maybe even show them Anxiety In Teens. I bet if you told them that you wrote to me because you don’t know what to do, they would take you seriously. Mental illness is something that is hard for people to understand because it’s not physical. If you’re not comfortable with talking to them in person, I would try writing a note. In my experience, notes tend to be taken seriously because the person can read it alone and have time to think about what you said, and usually what is written in the notes is more thought out than what you will say in person. If your parents don’t believe you, try to get them to take you to the doctor. This way, the doctor can diagnose you, and then you and your parents and the doctor can talk about a treatment plan from there. Just be honest with them, and tell them what is really going on, and hopefully they will believe you! To my readers, what have you done to help your parents understand?
For any question big or small, email mentionittomorgs@anxietyinteens.com!
Keep smiling,
Morgs