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24/7 HelplineAnger is defined as an acute emotional response triggered by a number of stimulating situations, including verbal attack, restraint, threat, disappointment or frustration. Though a normal human emotion, anger can be scary and potentially dangerous to both the adolescent and people with whom they come in contact.
While dealing with angry teenagers, one needs to remember that the only problem with them is the trouble they face in managing their anger. Anger as an emotion can have adverse consequences for both the person self and others, thus, it becomes important to address the issue as early as possible.
Symptoms of Anger Problem
Troubled, angry teens may engage in risky behavior, such as substance abuse, unsafe sex, self-injury, violence or other crimes. They may defy parental discipline and skip school. All these symptoms can put stress on family environment. While diagnosing an anger disorder among teens, mental health professionals look at trends in a teenager’s emotional, behavior and physical symptoms.
Other warning signs of a troubled or angry teen include:
- Falling grades
- Breaking the law
- Getting into fights
- Antisocial behavior
- Personality changes
- Constant arguments
- Sleep disturbances
- Threatening or bullying others
- Cruelty toward animals
Causes of Anger Problems
Due to prevalence of numerous stressors in our society, anger is a common experience for many people, especially among teens and adolescents. In most cases, anger problems are a sign that your adolescent is dealing with an underlying issue, such as a mental health disorder or a substance abuse problem. Some of the underlying issues include grief, anxiety, physical abuse, emotional abuse, depression, alcohol or drug abuse.
As part of teen anger management, mental health care professionals can identify whether or not teens are struggling with a co-occurring condition that is influencing their anger issues. Once the underlying conditions are addressed, treating the anger management problem in teens becomes far simpler.
