Archive for August, 2008

by Iza del Carmen, MomAuthority.com

In a previous article, it was mentioned that there are a number of factors that can contribute to your teen’s severe moods, including hormones, peer pressure, and stress. We will continue talking about other factors that may cause your teen’s mood swings:

Experimenting with alcohol and drugs are a part of the life of a teenager, whether we, as parents, want to believe that our child will try them or not. Statistics show that 75% of teens will have tried alcohol and 50% will have tried some type of illegal drug by the time they finish high school.  Most use these substances socially and often without parents ever suspecting a thing.

However, some teens develop serious addictions and dependencies that can become dangerous, or even deadly. One of the biggest indicators of a drug or alcohol problem is sudden and severe anger or depression in your teen. If you see extreme mood changes in your teen, along with secretiveness, lack of personal hygiene, disappearing money, and serious rebellion, they may have a drug or alcohol problem.

The teenage years are a time of serious changes, which can leave your child feeling extremely lost and confused. Their bodies are changing, their friends are changing, they are dealing with more responsibilities, and they are beginning to make big decisions about their future.

When they are trying to make the right choices about their lives, they may be torn between what they want to do, what their parents want them to do, and what their friends think they should do. All of these outside influences on their decisions can cause them to become confused about what will be best for them, and in turn, cause depression and anger.

Approval and acceptance is very important during the teen years, and when a teen feels rejected by their peers, it can cause them to become depressed. Rejection can come in many forms, from not being invited to the popular football player’s party, to losing a class election, or even being cheated on by a love interest.

While some of these things may not seem to be such a huge issue to you, feeling wanted and accepted is very important during the teenage years. Rejection can deal serious blows to their egos and self-image, making them question their own worth in life. Though time usually heals these wounds, sometimes the scars of rejection can cause anger and depression to spiral out of control.

Teens And Severe Moods, Part 2 (c) 2008 MomAuthority.com

by Iza del Carmen, MomAuthority.com

There is a wide range of internal and external influences that can cause our teens to turn from happy and carefree children into moody young people, whom we seem to barely know. Most of these causes are far beyond anyone’s control, so understanding what could be bringing on these extreme mood swings in your child is very important in helping you to deal with the changes and disruptions in your household. A large part of the time, they do not even understand why they feel the way that they do and certainly cannot figure out a way to change their emotions on their own.

Though it may sound somewhat cliché, hormones usually play a huge role in the moods of a teenager. The chemical imbalances in the body that are caused by changes in the levels of certain hormones can cause moods to fluctuate greatly. Each person’s specific reactions to the changes in these hormone levels are different, causing moods and emotions to fly out of control at the drop of a hat.

In some teenagers, the fluctuation of hormones that comes with the body’s reaction to reaching sexual maturity causes them to become depressed and withdrawn. In most cases, these levels will eventually correct and regulate themselves, but in more extreme cases, medication may be needed to help with the chemical imbalances in the body. Your pediatrician or family physician can help you make the decision if prescription medication is necessary to help your teenager.

One recent study looked at a specific hormone that is reported to have calming affects on both young children and adults. However, in teens, this same hormone tended to cause anxiety and depression, specifically in teenage girls. There seemed to be a connection between the steroid THP, which is a derivative of progesterone and occurs naturally in the body, and severe mood swings and reactions.

The desire to “fit in” can be very overwhelming for a teenager. They may feel as if they need to change who they are and what their values and interest may be, in order to be included as part of the group. Often when they make these sacrifices of their morals and beliefs, they have an overwhelming sense of guilt, which can be communicated through depression or anger.

A little rebellion during the teen years in normal, and most teens will experiment with the boundaries set by their parents. However, when the rebellion turns into anger and violence, it can become a problem that can endanger the entire family’s safety, not only the safety of your teenager.

A big factor in the extreme moods of teens is stress. At this point in their life, many teens are being pulled in a variety of directions, which can be extremely overwhelming. They are under pressure to perform well in school, be involved in extra-curricular activities, and often are involved in competitive sports.

With all of these responsibilities and the competitiveness that teens have to be the best in everything, the stress and pressure to perform can cause severe mood swings. When they feel as if they have failed or are not good enough in an aspect of their lives, things can seem dismal. This can cause them to become depressed or even angry, lashing out on those around them.

What Causes Your Teen’s Severe Moods, Part 1 (c) 2008 MomAuthority.com