A recent report by the DAK Bayern health insurance company reveals a significant increase in anxiety disorders among teenage girls in Bavaria, with cases rising by 45 percent since 2019. The findings, released on February 15, 2026, indicate that approximately 11,000 girls aged 15 to 17 in the region were treated for anxiety disorders in 2024.
The report highlights a particularly sharp increase in specific phobias, such as social anxiety, which have nearly tripled since 2019, increasing by 194 percent. Panic disorders have also seen a substantial rise, with an 86 percent increase since the start of the pandemic. These figures are significantly higher than those observed in other age groups and underscore a growing mental health crisis affecting adolescent girls.
“The results are concerning and align with our experiences in practice,” stated Michael Hubmann, President of the Professional Association of Pediatricians and Youth Doctors, confirming the report’s findings. “We continue to see a high rate of psychological stress in children and adolescents. Anxieties, in particular, play a major role.”
Experts attribute the surge in anxiety disorders to a confluence of ongoing crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, geopolitical conflicts, societal pressures, and anxieties about the future. These factors, they say, create a persistent sense of uncertainty and stress for young people. According to the DAK report, around 64 out of every 1,000 girls insured by DAK between the ages of 15 and 17 received treatment for an anxiety disorder, either as an inpatient or outpatient, in 2024.
Similar trends are being observed in other German states. A study by the DAK, specifically analyzed for Baden-Württemberg, showed nearly 10,000 girls between 15 and 17 were treated for anxiety disorders in 2024, a 55 percent increase since 2019. Jan Steffen Jürgensen, board member of Klinikum Stuttgart, pointed to increased social media use as a contributing factor, noting that girls are particularly vulnerable to unrealistic body images and expectations presented online. A University of Stuttgart study also found that half of all young people in Baden-Württemberg report feeling lonely, with young women being disproportionately affected.
The DAK Bayern report precedes a broader discussion on the long-term psychological effects of the pandemic on young people. The Klinikum Stuttgart is scheduled to release further data on the correlation between social media usage and mental health in adolescent girls in March 2026.
