Teen Anxiety Options: Side by Side Chart
Diagram & reference
A visual reference. The evidence, sources and clinical interpretation are in the linked article.
A visual reference. The evidence, sources and clinical interpretation are in the linked article.
| Option | What the evidence shows in teens | Main concerns |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive behavioral therapy | First-line; strong trial support | Takes weeks; needs a trained therapist |
| SSRIs (for example sertraline, fluoxetine) | First-line; strong trial support, best combined with CBT | Nausea, sleep changes; boxed warning to monitor for suicidal thoughts |
| Exercise | Modest benefit | Few |
| Benzodiazepines | Not recommended for routine use in teens | Sedation, dependence |
| Nicotine, including vaping | Brief relief, then worse anxiety between doses | Addiction; age restricted |
| Cannabis | No trials support it for anxiety in teens; regular teen use is linked to more anxiety and depression over time | Cannabis use disorder is more likely when use starts young; illegal under 21 in most US states |
| CBD alone | Early, small studies only | Product quality varies; drug interactions |
About this diagram
A comparison table of seven options a teenager might turn to for anxiety, from cognitive behavioral therapy and SSRIs to nicotine, cannabis and CBD, with what the evidence shows for teens and the main concerns for each. The first-line treatments with the strongest trial support sit at the top. The studies behind each row are in the article linked below.
The evidence behind it
Read the evidence: what randomized trials support for adolescent anxiety, and what the cannabis research actually warns about
That article carries the cited studies, the limits of the evidence, and the clinical interpretation.
That article carries the cited studies, the limits of the evidence, and the clinical interpretation.