Natural Tools for Adolescent Anxiety
The Crisis Facing Our Teens
If your teenager has seemed more anxious, withdrawn, or irritable lately, you are not alone. Across the country, adolescents are struggling. In fact, 1 in 5 teens experience a mental health condition each year, with anxiety and depression being the most common. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is now the third leading cause of death for adolescents aged 14 to 18 in the U.S. What can we do to prevent this? How can we support young people and their families so this is never the outcome?
How Mental Health Issues Can Sneak Up on Families
These challenges often start small: trouble sleeping, frequent headaches, low energy, or a drop in school performance. They can build slowly, masked by the pressures of school, social media, or growing up in a complicated world. As parents, we want to help—but it’s hard to know what actually works. While medications can be life-saving for some, they may come with side effects, and not every child responds the same way. This is why holistic, drug-free approaches are gaining attention as part of a well-rounded mental health plan.
A Science-Backed Alternative: Acupuncture
One powerful and under-utilized tool is acupuncture. This ancient healing technique is backed by science for its effectiveness in reducing anxiety and improving emotional well-being.
Leung et al. published in The Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health, that children between 8 and 16 with anxiety who received acupuncture reported significantly lower anxiety scores after treatment than those who did not receive acupuncture. The Department of Psychiatry, Emory University, published a review (Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 2023) on the role of complementary and integrative medicine to help anxiety in children, adolescents and young adults. Acupuncture was found to reduce anxiety and slow heart rate before certain medical procedures. A Handbook of Mind/Body Integration in Child and Adolescent Development (Springer Nature, 2023) highlights the importance of complementary and alternative approaches combined with standard mental health interventions.
What Happens During a Teen Acupuncture Session?
At Seyhart Acupuncture for Anxiety, we’ve seen firsthand how acupuncture gently helps teens find their footing again. By working with the autonomic nervous system, acupuncture can reduce the fight-or-flight response, regulate mood, and improve the ability to cope with stress. The treatment itself is calming, quiet, and deeply relaxing—often the first time in weeks or months a teen has felt truly at ease.
What You Can Do Right Now
So, what can you do right now to help your teen live a life of peace, strength, and joy?
5 Simple Actions to Support Your Teen’s Mental Health
1. Listen without fixing. Create space for your teen to talk—even if it’s messy or quiet.
2. Limit screen time after dark. The blue light disrupts sleep and increases anxiety.
3. Introduce acupuncture. Book a session at Seyhart Acupuncture for Anxiety to begin calming the nervous system.
4. Focus on whole-body wellness. Encourage sleep, nutritious food, movement, and time in nature.
5. Model calm. When you prioritize your own emotional health, your child learns to do the same.
Take the First Step Today
If your teen can use support, encouragement, and a safe space to relax and reset, we can help.
With care and compassion,
Tara McCannel, MD PhD
Founder, Seyhart Acupuncture for Anxiety