At What Age Teenage Mood Swings Stop?

Understanding Teenage Mood Swings

The teenage years can often feel like an emotional roller coaster, not just for the teens themselves but also for their parents and caregivers. Understanding the reasons behind these mood swings can provide valuable insight into this phase of adolescence and offer guidance on when to seek professional help.

Normalcy of Teenage Mood Swings

Teenagers' moods can shift quickly, and their emotional responses can often be intense. This volatility is primarily due to developmental changes in brain activity and fluctuations in hormones during adolescence. As a result, teenagers may interpret events in a heightened or exaggerated manner, leading to seemingly unpredictable emotions.

Early adolescence has been identified as the period of greatest volatility in mood. However, these temporary mood swings are generally considered normal and not necessarily a cause for concern. For a more detailed understanding of common teenage health problems, you can refer to our article on common teenage health problems.

Impact of Hormonal Shifts

The significant hormonal shifts that occur during puberty can often lead to increased irritability, intense sadness, and frequent frustration among teenagers.

Cognitive control systems, which help manage emotions, lag behind emotional development in the early teen years. This lag makes it challenging for young teenagers to cope with their fluctuating emotions. However, as teenagers mature physically and mentally, they generally learn more adaptive ways to manage their moods [4].

Interestingly, Dutch researchers found that while the volatility of happiness, sadness, and anger generally decreased as teenagers aged, feelings of anxiety remained variable. Anxiety often increased at the start of adolescence, decreased, and then increased again toward the end of the teen years. This fluctuation might be attributed to the unease associated with the transition toward adulthood.

Understanding these hormonal shifts and their impact on mood swings is crucial for both teenagers and their parents. Recognizing the normalcy of these changes can help parents offer the necessary support to their teens. For more information on how to navigate these challenging years, our article on how to parent a teenager might be useful.

Factors Influencing Teenage Mood Swings

Understanding what's behind mood swings can help both teenagers and their parents navigate these tumultuous years. Several factors can influence the emotional rollercoaster of adolescence, including conditions on the autism spectrum and changes related to age.

Autism Spectrum Influence

Teenagers on the autism spectrum may experience more frequent or severe mood swings than their neurotypical counterparts as they navigate adolescence. This heightened emotional turbulence can complicate their journey through the teenage years and may require additional support to manage effectively. Recognizing this can be crucial in understanding teen behavior, particularly when assessing common teenage health problems and determining appropriate interventions or residential treatment for teens.

Emotional Fluctuations with Age

Research shows that the intensity and frequency of mood swings change as teenagers grow older. A study conducted by the Society for Research in Child Development, which followed almost 500 teenagers from ages 13 to 18, found that most of the emotional hills and valleys had given way to a more gentle landscape by 18 years old. Their levels of happiness, anger, and sadness gradually began to stabilize, indicating that mood swings tend to decrease with age [2].

In the early teen years, cognitive control systems lag behind emotional development, making it hard for adolescents to cope with their emotions. Beyond biological factors, significant changes in adolescence, such as the start of high school, conflicts with parents, and experiencing first loves and breakups, can all contribute to mood swings.

However, feelings of anxiety remain variable. Anxiety can increase toward the start of adolescence, decrease, then increase again toward the end of the teen years, possibly due to the uneasy transition toward adulthood. Understanding these patterns can be helpful in identifying signs of anxiety in teens.

While teenage girls may experience more intense swings in happiness and sadness than teenage boys, the gradual stabilization in moods across the teenage years is similar for both sexes.

Understanding these influences can help parents and caregivers better support teenagers as they navigate these emotionally turbulent years. By recognizing the factors that contribute to mood swings, parents can more effectively communicate with their teens and provide the necessary support as they grow. For more tips on managing and understanding teenager’s behavior, check out our articles on how to parent teenager and how to discipline teenager that wont listen.

Monitoring Teenage Mood Changes

Keeping track of a teenager's fluctuating moods is crucial for understanding and supporting their emotional health. However, it's equally important to recognize when these changes might indicate deeper mental health issues.

Signs of Deeper Mental Health Issues

While mood swings are a normal part of adolescence, persistent, intense, or disruptive emotional fluctuations can be a sign of an underlying mental health problem. Symptoms of depression in teens, for instance, can include crying frequently for no clear reason, expressing feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, overwhelming guilt, and fixating on past failures [1].

Other signs to watch out for include loss of interest in usual activities, sleep and appetite changes, lack of energy, problems concentrating, neglecting appearance, and using alcohol or drugs. These symptoms, along with negative views of themselves and the future, self-harm, or thoughts of death or suicide, can indicate a serious issue that requires immediate attention [1].

Concerning behaviors and mood swings that last for weeks or months, or noticeable periods of elevated and/or low energy, may be signs of a deeper mental health problem. If a teenager's behavior goes beyond typical mood swings of adolescence, it is important to seek help.

For more information about the signs of depression and other mental health issues in teens, refer to our articles on symptoms of teenage depression and signs of anxiety in teens.

Importance of Seeking Professional Help

If your teenager's mood swings do not gradually dissipate with a calm and patient approach, or if mood swings stay high in late adolescence despite careful parental attention, professional help may be needed.

Seeking assistance from a healthcare provider or mental health professional is crucial to assess the situation and provide necessary guidance and support services. These professionals can help differentiate between typical adolescence and a more significant problem or mood disorder [5].

Depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders are mental health issues that commonly emerge during adolescence, and seeking professional help is important if you think your teen is experiencing a deeper issue than mood swings.

If mood swings are hindering your teenager's daily activities, it could indicate a more serious mental health issue. In such cases, early treatment significantly aids in recovery.

For more information about when and how to seek professional help, refer to our articles on how to parent teenager, when to worry about teenage son, and residential treatment for teens.

Stages of Teenage Mood Development

Understanding the stages of teenage mood development can be critical in discerning if a teen's mood swings are a part of healthy development or a sign of an underlying mental health issue.

Emotional Hills and Valleys

In the early stages of adolescence, teens often experience what can be described as "emotional hills and valleys." This period is characterized by intense mood volatility. These mood swings are most intense in early adolescence and tend to stabilize as teens get older [4].

During these early teen years, cognitive control systems lag behind emotional development, making it difficult for adolescents to cope with their emotions. Beyond biological factors, significant changes occur during adolescence such as the start of high school, conflicts with parents, and experiencing first loves and breakups. These events can contribute to the emotional rollercoaster that many teens experience.

Gradual Stabilization Over Time

As teens continue to navigate through adolescence, their moods gradually begin to stabilize. A study conducted by the Society for Research in Child Development found that by 18 years old, most of the emotional ups and downs had transformed into a more gentle landscape as their levels of happiness, anger, and sadness began to equalize [2].

This gradual stabilization is attributed to various milestones teens pass, such as experiencing their first romance, enduring their first breakup, and navigating through conflicts with parents. As teens encounter these experiences, they begin to develop skills to better manage their mood swings.

However, feelings of anxiety may remain variable throughout adolescence. Anxiety can increase at the onset of adolescence, decrease, and then increase again towards the end of the teen years. This pattern may be due to the uneasy transition into adulthood.

Though teenage girls may experience more intense swings in happiness and sadness than teenage boys, the gradual stabilization in moods across the teenage years is similar for both sexes.

Understanding these stages of mood development can help parents and teens recognize when mood swings may indicate a deeper issue, such as symptoms of teenage depression or signs of anxiety in teens. If you're a parent seeking advice on how to support your teen, read our guide on how to parent teenagers.

Managing Teenage Mood Swings

Addressing and managing teenage mood swings can be a challenging task, but with the right approach and support, it can be tackled effectively. This involves parental support and guidance, and when needed, professional assistance.

Parental Support and Guidance

Parents play a vital role in helping their teens navigate through the turbulent waters of adolescence. A calm, composed, and patient approach is key in dealing with these mood swings. Parents should engage in open and supportive conversations with their teens, expressing concern and asking how they are feeling. This enables the teen to feel heard and understood, which can aid in easing their emotional fluctuations.

Parents should also be vigilant about changes in their teen's behavior over time. If their adolescent child does not show the normative decline in mood variability, or if mood swings increase in frequency over time, it may be a sign of a deeper issue that warrants attention. This might mean a 16- or 17-year-old who is having serious mood swings that are increasing, instead of declining.

For tips on how to provide the right support to your teenager, visit how to parent teenager.

Professional Assistance when Necessary

While parental support is crucial, there are instances where professional assistance may be necessary. If mood swings do not gradually dissipate despite parental attention, or when mood swings stay high in late adolescence, it may be time to seek professional help.

Moreover, if concerning behaviors such as mood swings last for weeks or months, or if your teen shows noticeable periods of elevated and/or low energy, it may be time to seek help from a doctor or mental health professional.

Symptoms of depression in teens include crying frequently for no clear reason, expressing feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, overwhelming guilt, and fixating on past failures. Depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders are mental health issues that commonly emerge during adolescence, and seeking professional help is important if you think your teen is experiencing a deeper issue than mood swings.

Visit our articles on symptoms of teenage depression and signs of anxiety in teens for more detailed information. If you are considering residential treatment for your teen, our article on residential treatment for teens could be a helpful resource.

Addressing Serious Mood Swings

While mood swings are normal during adolescence, it's important to be aware of signs that may indicate deeper issues. These signs can help to identify problematic patterns and seek help for prolonged issues.

Identifying Problematic Patterns

Conducting regular check-ins with your teen can help identify if their mood swings are part of typical teenage development or if they may be a symptom of a larger problem. According to Verywell Family, if concerning behaviors such as mood swings last for weeks or months, or if your teen shows noticeable periods of elevated and/or low energy, it may be time to seek help.

Symptoms of depression in teens, as outlined by Mayo Clinic, include crying frequently for no clear reason, expressing feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, overwhelming guilt, and fixating on past failures. If sadness, irritability, anger, or other difficult emotions persist and do not ease over several weeks, this may be a cause for concern. Visit our article on symptoms of teenage depression for more information.

Furthermore, Hope in Therapy suggests that difficulty in functioning in multiple life areas such as home, school, and social life may indicate a problem or mood disorder rather than just adolescent moodiness or a situation-specific reaction. Serious meltdowns that do not pass within a few hours may indicate a more serious problem.

Seeking Help for Prolonged Issues

If a teenager's mood swings seem to go beyond the typical ups and downs of adolescence, it is important to seek help. Parents should talk to their teens, express concern, and ask how they are feeling. Mayo Clinic emphasizes the importance of seeking assistance from a healthcare provider or mental health professional to assess the situation and provide necessary guidance and support services.

If mood swings do not gradually dissipate with a calm and patient approach, or when mood swings stay high in late adolescence despite careful parental attention, professional help may be needed.

Seeking professional help from a counselor or psychiatrist is recommended when in doubt, as it can be challenging to differentiate between normal adolescence and a larger problem or mood disorder.

For more resources on dealing with teenage mood swings, visit our articles on how to parent a teenager, when to worry about your teenage son, and the common teenage health problems that can impact mental wellness. For teens facing severe mood swings, considering residential treatment for teens can be an effective option for long-term recovery.

References

[1]: https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-rapid-mood-changes-normal-for-teens/

‍[2]: https://time.com/4066536/teen-moods-depression-study/

‍[3]: https://www.verywellfamily.com/are-my-teens-mood-swings-normal-2611240

‍[4]: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/10/14/448658923/younger-teens-suffer-most-from-turbulent-mood-swings

‍[5]: https://hopeintherapy.com/surviving-your-teens-mood-swings/

‍[6]: https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/mental-health-physical-health/about-mental-health/ups-downs