Teen Angst: A Phase or Mental Health Concern?

Raising a teenager can be an emotional rollercoaster—for both the parent and teen. The ups and downs of adolescent emotions can be stressful and challenging. Suddenly the sweet child you once knew is testing your patience with intense mood swings and emotional outbursts. Teen angst has arrived.

While teen angst is a normal part of adolescent development, it may be difficult for a parent to know whether this new behavior is just a phase or whether there could be a deeper mental health concern at play. In fact, 40 percent of parents have a hard time distinguishing between mood swings and teen depression, according to a national poll conducted by the Mott Children’s Hospital.

Therefore, it’s helpful for parents to understand the differences between teen angst and mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Moreover, there are simple yet effective approaches for helping your teen manage their angst and improve their well-being.

What Is Teenage Angst?

Unlike depression or anxiety, which are diagnosable mental health disorders, there is no medical definition for teen angst. Angst is defined as feelings of worry or dread. Teenage angst is brought about by feelings of insecurity, worrying, or apprehension, all common emotions during adolescence.

Given the physical changes and emotional turbulence that characterize the experience of being a teenager, angst is a common reaction to many situations—whether it’s a math test, a sports match, or a challenging relationship.

Moreover, teen angst can be part of the process of evolving and maturing into a healthy adult. Although it can be very uncomfortable to experience tension, frustration, or fear, learning healthy coping strategies can actually help young people get better at navigating and regulating their emotions. And that’s more likely to happen when parents understand what teens are going through and support them in processing their feelings.

Common Teenage Angst Behaviors

• Mood swings
• Challenging parental rules and boundaries
• Social isolation
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
• Changes in eating patterns
• Extreme sadness or anxiety

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What Causes Teenage Angst?

In addition to biological factors and the hormone fluctuations that occur in typical adolsecent growth, there are external contributors to teenage angst.

Academic Pressure

Teenagers are under enormous pressure in school, academically and within their peer groups. Meeting academic expectations set by parents and trying acheive the grades needed to get accepted in to their college of choice, can cause feelings of self-doubt, stress and anxiety.

Peer Pressure

The feeling of needing to conform to social norms among peer groups in terms of appearance, interests, and values, can cause teens to feel insecure, ashamed, and full of self-doubt.

Social Media

Social media can be a great tool for connecting teens to friend groups and things they are passionate about. But the effects of social media on a teen’s mental health and overall well-being can be detrimental. These platforms expose teens to cyberbullying, celebrity and friend comparison, body image issues, and tech addiction, all of which negatively impact mental health.

Family Issues

When trying to determine the root of your teen’s angst, take a look at the current family dynamics in your home. Is your teen experiencing increased tension with you or their other parent or sibling? Is there a divorce or other traumatic event the family is grappling with? These can all cause feelings of frustration, anger, and sadness. And because adolescents don’t have the emotional intelligence yet to manage emotions, these feelings could come in the form of outbursts, rude behavior, or the silent treatment.

Depression vs. Teenage Angst: What’s the Difference?

The main difference between angst and depression is that teen depression, unlike emotional angst, is a potentially life-threatening mental health condition. Mental health professionals highlight the importance of not downplaying behaviors that might be symptoms of depression in teenagers.

Another difference between angst and depression: When left untreated, adolescent depression can continue into adulthood and give rise to co-occurring disorders. According to a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, 75 percent of individuals who experience a depressive episode during adolescence later struggle with depression, other mood disorders, and/or substance use disorder as adults.

Given these statistics, it’s important to learn how to recognize depression in teenagers and how to tell the difference between angst and depression. Parents do not need to sound the alarm every time a teenager has a mood swing, but they do need to pay close attention to what’s happening over time. “Child angst” is also something to watch for—signs of intense and volatile emotions in younger children, typically between ages 10 and 12, as hormonal changes begin to ramp up.

Teen Angst vs. Anxiety: What’s the Difference?

The main difference between angst and anxiety is that angst is not as persistent, intense, or wide-ranging as anxiety. However, telling the difference between teen angst and anxiety disorders can be challenging for parents. Angst, worry, and anxiety all seem like different words for the same thing—a recent survey found that one-third of parents of teens think worry and anxiety are interchangeable. That is true to some extent—angst, anxiety, and worry all refer to fearful uncertainty about something in the future.

However, anxiety is more than a general feeling of worry and apprehension. There are many different forms of anxiety, and there are specific anxiety signs and symptoms that go beyond emotional angst. Anxiety often involves constant worrying, irrational fears, and self-judgment. Or it may manifest as social anxiety or phobias, which are technically types of anxiety disorders.

A mental health assessment can help clarify the difference between angst and anxiety in teenagers. Parents who are concerned about whether the issue is something worse than emotional angst should seek an assessment as soon as possible. Research shows that 50 percent of all lifetime mental illnesses begin by the age of 14. The quicker anxiety is diagnosed, the quicker it can be treated and healing can begin.

How to Recognize Depression or Anxiety in Teenagers vs. Emotional Angst

To distinguish between teenage angst and a mental health disorder, or when assessing “child angst,” mental health professionals examine three critical areas of concern:

1. Intensity or severity of the problematic feelings and behaviors: Is the intensity of the symptoms interfering with a teen’s everyday life, including family life, social activities, and school? Gauging the intensity and the severity of the issue helps parents distinguish between a passing condition and a mood disorder.
2. Duration (length of time) of these experiences when they occur: Are the moodiness and difficult emotions ongoing, or does it only crop up now and then? In other words, are the symptoms chronic and consistent, or are they unusual? When they do arise, how long do they last—days? Weeks?
3. The domains, or situations, within which the behavior and emotions occur: Often, a teenager shows symptoms of teen angst around authority figures like parents or teachers. But then the symptoms disappear when they’re with their friends. However, teen depression makes itself known in nearly all situations and circumstances. Thus, if the symptoms arise in several domains, such as at home, at school, and with friends, this indicates a greater likelihood of a mental health condition.

Assessing whether a teen’s emotional angst passes quickly and how acute it is, as well as how many domains it encompasses, provides important information about what they are experiencing.

5 Ways to Help your Teen Manage Angst

Dealing with teen angst isn’t easy, but it’s important for your teen to know that you are there for them even when their behavior is difficult to navigate. As a parent, there are some simple yet effective ways you can help your teen ride the waves of emotional angst during these turbulent years.

In the list below, you’ll find links to resources in our extensive library that offer evidence-based approaches for how to deal with teenage angst.

1. Offer unconditional love. It’s important to be patient during this time. Encourage your teen to share their feelings and listen without judgment and without interruption. Sometimes teens just need to vent without being lectured.
2. Encourage unplugging and offline connection. Learn how to help teens create a more balanced relationship with their devices. One study found that taking just one week off social media improved participants’ overall level of well-being while reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.
3. Practice ongoing communication. Sometimes the toughest part of communicating with your teen is figuring out how to get them to talk. Get tips for talking to your teen. 
4. Do mental health temperature checks. Understanding the wide range of ways in which teen trauma manifests can help you perform an emotional temperature check and recognize when it’s necessary to schedule a full mental health assessment. Here are 10 questions to ask a teen to gauge how they’re doing.
5. Help your teen build important life skills. To some degree, gaining life skills happens naturally as teens absorb information and have more experiences. But there are things you can do as a parent to help them learn skills they need to cope with life’s challenges, now and in the future. Here are 5 sets of life skills every teen needs to build personal accountability, boost mental health, and feel more competent and self-confident. 

Treatment for Depression or Anxiety in Teenagers

If emotional angst has progressed to the point that a teen has ongoing, intense symptoms, the best course of action is a comprehensive mental health assessment. Early diagnosis and treatment of depression and any co-occurring disorders improve treatment outcomes. Hence, the sooner parents learn to distinguish whether their child is suffering from teenage angst or depression, the sooner that child can get professional help.

At Newport Academy, your teen will build self-knowledge, coping skills, and better emotional regulation with the help of our individual and family therapists. Our clinicians use evidence-based treatments to heal the underlying depression, anxiety, trauma, or other mental health issues that manifest as emotional angst. Contact us today to learn more.

Sources:

JAMA Pediatr. 2019;173(4):389–391.
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005 Jun;62(6):593–602.
Mott Poll Report