Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Stages

Why do teens have mood swings? Here’s what’s really going on

By

Teens are notoriously moody but what is the reason and can anything help? And when are mood swings actually something more serious, like clinical depression?

If you’re looking for answers about why teens have mood swings, you’re not alone and we’re here to help. There are many strategies you can use to make it through these ups and downs and also ways to tell when your teen is going through something more than just moodiness. The mood swings are tough on you both, but the information ahead can help.

teen mood swing
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Why teens have mood swings

The onset of puberty is brought on by the production of certain hormones in the body. These hormones — testosterone in biological males and estrogen and progesterone in biological females — are what create the physical changes in the body like the growth of body hair, the onset of body odor, and the beginning of the menstrual cycle, but they also are the culprit behind the emotional changes you may be seeing in your teenager. The large, new amounts of these hormones coming into teens’ bodies can impact mood. These chemical changes are normal and can cause irritability, sadness, and frustration.

Recommended Videos

In addition to hormones coursing through their bodies, teens also have a lot going on emotionally. They are figuring out their identity, stressed about their social life and academics, and trying to establish their independence. Remember back to your teen years to remember just how overwhelming it all felt then.

Related

The good news is that it’s possible it may only get better from your current situation. A study published in Child Development in 2015 showed that teen mood swings between happiness, anger, and sadness continuously declined across adolescence (age 13 to 18). The variability between those moods became less and less over the teen years, so as teens matured, their moods evened out.

When is it more than regular teen mood swings?

Teen mental health is an important topic that shouldn’t be overlooked just because it is normal for adolescents to struggle with mood swings. The hormonal changes can bring on serious issues like depression that may need treatment.

Psychologist Dr. Nadja N. Reilly suggests using three factors to distinguish between regular teen angst and something more:

  • Severity. If your teen’s behavior is seriously different instead of minorly impacted, it could be time to see a doctor. For example, if she is sleeping or eating more or less than usual, withdrawing from friends and family, or seeming apathetic or hopeless, it could be depression. Of course, on another level, if he is having hallucinations, self-harming, taking drugs or drinking alcohol, or having suicidal thoughts it is time to take action.
  • Duration. If any negative notable change in behavior lasts two weeks or longer without a break it could indicate depression.
  • Domains. Look at multiple areas of your teen’s life like home, school, friends, and sports. If her mood is worse across the board instead of just in one domain, it could show that it isn’t just a dislike of a particular situation, subject, or person, but a general mood issue.

If you think your teen does have depression, talk to him about it and then reach out to his pediatrician about the next steps. Your doctor may recommend seeing a therapist and/or a psychiatrist.

mom trying to comfort upset teen girl
Africa Studio / Shutterstock

How can I help my teen with mood swings?

While nothing may take away all of the ups and downs, try some of these strategies to help lessen the mood swings and improve mood in general:

  • Keep open communication. Don’t judge, yell, or punish when you can help it so that your teen will talk openly to you about what’s going on.
  • Encourage healthy sleep habits. Don’t allow phones or other screen devices in your teen’s bedroom after a certain curfew and enforce a bedtime in a way that makes sense for your family and your teen’s age.
  • Encourage exercise. Ask him what sport he would like to try each season and sign him up for some kind of activity. If he’s totally opposed to any of the options, have him use a Wii Sports or go on a walk on his own for 20 minutes of movement.
  • Remind her she’s not alone. All of her peers are going through this, too, even if it feels like she’s the only one. Let her know she can talk to you, a helpline, a school counselor, a friend, or anyone and you’d never be mad at her reaching out for help.

Teen mood swings are manageable

You can make it through the teen years together and come out on the other side stronger for it. The mood swings will pass but if your teen is showing signs of being consistently down with low energy and low mood, ask him more about how he is doing to see if it could be depression. Thirteen percent of U.S. teens have experienced a major depressive episode, so keep an eye out. Take care of yourself by talking to your own friends about your concerns and frustrations while living with your teen’s mood swings as well. Just remember that the teen years don’t last forever.

Editors’ Recommendations

Sarah Prager
Sarah Prager
Contributor
Sarah is a writer and mom who lives in Massachusetts. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, National…
Do babies have kneecaps? We’ll explain everything
Are those kneecaps, or is there another reason their legs are so bendy?
A baby's knees

When you don't have a baby in the home, you don't know about all the unique things that you only learn about when you have an infant. Part of the awe of having a baby is how incredibly flexible they are. We've all taken a little foot and held it up to a baby's ear like a telephone, a little jealous by the fact they can move so easily (and without pain). The secret is all in the knees, and while it might be a cool party trick, there's a reason your baby can do this.

Do babies have kneecaps? How are their little legs so bendy? Here's what you need to know about your baby's adorable knees.
Do babies have kneecaps?

Read more
7 healthy lunch ideas for teens you can make in 10 minutes
Your teen will love these simple but healthy lunch ideas
Avocado toast

Does it seem like your teen never stops eating? If you find your teen constantly reaching for less nutritious snacks instead of healthy meals, you're not alone. Teens may love to scarf down chips and other junk food, but you know they need proper nutrition to keep growing and powering their brains for school. These healthy lunch ideas for teens are so easy your teen can make them themself in minutes.

Learning to cook is an important life skill, and starting teens off with the basics, like toast and pasta, is a good place to start. It's also important to lay a foundation of health from the start by teaching about nutritious meals and how they can be easy to make and delicious to taste. These seven healthy lunch ideas for teens will make both you and them happy.
Easy lunch ideas for teens

Read more
What do teens mean when they say sigma?
Here's the sigma meaning in terms adults can understand
Three teen boys looking at phones.

There's nothing that makes a parent want to walk out into the sun and turn into dust more than when they try to use slang from their youth, and their child tells them it's lame. There is also nothing that scares a parent more than having to learn their child's slang to understand what they're talking about.

When it comes to preteens, tweens, and young teens, sigma is a word you've heard thrown around. While it could refer to a college fraternity or sorority, this is the sigma meaning, slang term, the way teens are using it.
What the sigma?

Read more