How to Tell If Your Teen Has Real Anxiety or Normal Nervousness

If your teenager avoids challenges, shuts down under pressure, procrastinates, or melts down over small setbacks, you’re not alone. What looks like laziness or drama is often anxiety or avoidance—and the way most parents respond can actually make it worse.

In this episode, Dr. Cam interviews Dana Colthart, a licensed clinical social worker specializing in OCD, anxiety, panic disorders, and eating disorders. Together, they explore how anxiety hides in plain sight and reveal the biggest parenting trap: accommodation and reassurance that strengthen your teen’s fear response.