Anxiety Disorder Increasing in Teens
OCD is a mental disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) aimed at reducing the anxiety. Recently however, OCD has been drastically more impacting teenagers than the rest of the population. According to the National Health Insurance Corporation, the number of teenagers diagnosed with the disorder jumped 58 percent from 1,824 in 2005 to 2,878 last year.
The question then becomes why. Unfortunately, the doctors at Severance Mental Health Hospital in Seoul discovered that the reason for the steep spike is much closer to home than people realize. The main cause is not genetic, but instead routine daily activities whose stress levels have been heighted due to added pressures to succeed from society, friends and family.
“It is largely due to the competitive atmosphere at schools and pressure from their parents that increasing number of young students are displaying symptoms of OCD,” said Kim Chan-Hyung, director of Severance Mental Health Hospital in Seoul.
Researchers will continue to conduct more tests to ensure that these are cases of OCD and not just symptoms that everyone exhibits when anxious.
To learn more about OCD and other anxiety related disorders visit the neurosciences department at NorthShore University HealthSystem.
