Emotional dysregulation is a mental health symptom that makes it difficult to control our emotions. These overwhelming emotions are usually not proportionate to the severity of the situation, which can cause teens to struggle to function in society. They become increasingly isolated and withdrawn. As a parent or guardian, it is vital to be able to identify the signs of emotional dysregulation in teens and help them regulate their emotions and be resilient to emotional challenges.
This article aims to educate parents on the signs of emotional dysregulation in teens and offer treatment methods that can help teens control their emotions. If you are looking for immediate assistance for a teen with emotional dysregulation, contact Nexus Teen Academy today and learn more about our treatment offerings.
Common Behavioral Signs of Emotional Dysregulation in Teens
Teens with emotional dysregulation may exhibit a variety of behavioral symptoms. These include the following:
Extreme Mood Swings
Emotional dysregulation can cause rapid and extreme mood swings. Teens who lack emotional regulation skills may have trouble controlling their emotions at the slightest inconvenience. For example, your teen can be happy scrolling on social media but once you ask them to do something for you, they become irritated and moody. Rapid mood swings can also indicate an underlying behavioral issue like Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD). As a parent or guardian, you should take rapid mood swings seriously, as they can indicate emotional regulation issues.
Impulsive Behavior
As teens age, they tend to take more risks. This is attributable to brain development. Your teen becomes impulsive because they do not weigh the pros and cons of their behavior. If your teen has emotional dysregulation, their emotions may drive them to engage in risk-taking behavior. Overwhelming feelings can make your teen make quick and poorly thought-out decisions just to relieve their distress.
Difficulty in Managing Anger
When teens are emotionally dysregulated, they can struggle to manage anger. Emotional dysregulation causes overwhelming emotions that are hard to control. Dysregulated teens experience feelings much more intensely than their peers. They can become aggressive or violent when provoked since they cannot effectively manage their anger.
Social Withdrawal
Emotional dysregulation can cause your teen to become socially withdrawn. This is because they experience feelings of guilt, shame, or anger much more intensely. They can isolate themselves to hide their emotions. Due to their strong feelings, social interactions can make them feel exhausted. Instead of dealing with such interactions, your teen may seclude themselves. They use social isolation as a negative coping mechanism.
Your teen’s inability to control their emotions can make them sensitive to rejection. They may fear that their peers will reject them because of this, avoiding social settings and becoming disconnected from society.
Self-harm or Destructive Actions
Teen self-harm is often used as a negative coping mechanism for emotional dysregulation. It is most prevalent in teens with BPD, a mental health condition that is characterized by the inability to control strong emotions. Self-harm offers temporary relief for strong emotions and is used by many teens to relieve emotional pain. When your teen engages in self-harm, the body releases endorphins, which relieve pain and stabilize their mood.
Increased Interpersonal Conflicts
Emotional dysregulation can cause your teen to become more aggressive or violent. When they feel provoked, they have trouble controlling their emotions and can become verbally or physically aggressive. This increases the likelihood of interpersonal conflicts and damaged relationships.
Substance Abuse
Overwhelming feelings can cause your teen to use drugs for temporary relief. Drugs like nicotine and marijuana are popular for emotional regulation. Marijuana is often used for its calming and relaxing sensation. Nicotine use can also alleviate stress in the short term. Due to its addictive nature, teen nicotine use traps them in a cycle of use to provide temporary relief from emotional dysregulation.
High-Risk Sexual Behaviors
If your teen is emotionally dysregulated, they may resort to high-risk sexual behaviors to reduce overwhelming emotions. During sex, the body releases various hormones like endorphins and oxytocin. These hormones affect mood and cause us to feel relaxed. This offers temporary relief from emotional dysregulation. Your teen may not take precautions such as using protection as they need a quick fix for their unsettled mind.
Psychological Signs of Emotional Dysregulation in Teens
Emotionally dysregulated teens may exhibit the following psychological symptoms:
Chronic Irritability
Is your teen easily irritated? Are they frustrated by small things? This may be an indicator of emotional dysregulation. Teens who have trouble controlling their emotions get irked easily since they get provoked by small things. As a parent or guardian, you should pay close attention to your teen’s behavior to prevent the long-term effects of emotional dysregulation.
Depression and Anxiety
Emotional dysregulation can lead to the onset of depression and teen anxiety. When your teen experiences overwhelming feelings, they may become socially isolated. Over time, the social withdrawal can exacerbate feelings of loneliness. Emotional dysregulation can also cause low self-worth. Your teen struggles to understand why they cannot control their emotions while their peers can. A combination of these factors can lead to depression.
Not being able to interact properly with peers can cause your teen to become incredibly anxious. They become fearful of social gatherings and avoid them altogether. This crippling fear of interacting with new people and places is called social anxiety.
Shame and Guilt
If your teen has emotional dysregulation, they may constantly criticize their inability to control their emotions. They feel like they are a burden to others and get overwhelmed with shame and guilt. These feelings can make them develop unhealthy habits like excessive spending, perfectionism, and avoidance behaviors.
Suicidal Thoughts
Overwhelming feelings can make your teen develop suicidal ideation. Imagine feeling out of control each and every day. This is probably what your teen experiences in their daily lives. As a result, they may develop suicidal thoughts as a means to escape overwhelming negative feelings. They want to end it all and not be a burden to their family or friends. Unaddressed emotional dysregulation can lead to attempted suicide.
Long-Term Consequences of Ignoring Emotional Dysregulation
Unaddressed emotional dysregulation has numerous long-term consequences. These include the following:
The onset or worsening of mental health conditions: Unaddressed emotional dysregulation can cause your teen to develop depression or anxiety. Many parents confuse emotional dysregulation with normal teenage mood swings. However, it may indicate underlying mental health conditions like BPD. If left unaddressed, your teen’s mental health may deteriorate further.
Breakdown of interpersonal relationships: Your teen’s inability to control emotions can increase conflict in relationships. As a result, your teen’s relationships may become strained or break down completely.
Declining academic performance: Emotional dysregulation affects concentration and productivity. Constantly feeling overwhelmed by emotions can be exhausting. Fatigue and exhaustion hinder your teen’s ability to learn, leading to a decline in academic performance.
Problems with law enforcement: Emotionally dysregulated teens may become violent when they feel provoked. This can lead to them being charged with assault, damage to property, or battery.
Emotional Dysregulation Treatment at Nexus Teen Academy
Nexus Teen Academy is a premier mental health treatment facility in Arizona. It offers treatment for various behavioral issues, such as teen emotional dysregulation. Its highly skilled staff provides tailor-made, personalized treatment approaches to cater to every teen’s individual needs.
Nexus Teen Academy provides a comprehensive treatment approach that ensures your teen is effectively treated using different modalities. We combine evidence-based treatment with complementary approaches to improve treatment outcomes.
To learn more about our programming and how our team can help your teen with emotional dysregulation and other mental health disorders, contact our admissions staff today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the main signs of emotional dysregulation in teens?
Emotional dysregulation can have various signs and symptoms. These include the following:
Frequent emotional outbursts
Severe mood swings
Conflict avoidance
Perfectionism
Self-harm
Alcohol and substance use
Increased conflict
Eating disorders
Indecisiveness
How does emotional dysregulation differ from typical teen behavior?
Teenager moodiness causes teens to experience temporary changes in mood. On the other hand, emotional dysregulation causes chronic emotional outbursts that can be hard to control or manage. They also have severe impacts and impair daily functioning.
Common Signs of Emotional Dysregulation in Teens
Published By nexus_admin
Published On March 1, 2025
Table of Contents
Emotional dysregulation is a mental health symptom that makes it difficult to control our emotions. These overwhelming emotions are usually not proportionate to the severity of the situation, which can cause teens to struggle to function in society. They become increasingly isolated and withdrawn. As a parent or guardian, it is vital to be able to identify the signs of emotional dysregulation in teens and help them regulate their emotions and be resilient to emotional challenges.
This article aims to educate parents on the signs of emotional dysregulation in teens and offer treatment methods that can help teens control their emotions. If you are looking for immediate assistance for a teen with emotional dysregulation, contact Nexus Teen Academy today and learn more about our treatment offerings.
Common Behavioral Signs of Emotional Dysregulation in Teens
Teens with emotional dysregulation may exhibit a variety of behavioral symptoms. These include the following:
Extreme Mood Swings
Emotional dysregulation can cause rapid and extreme mood swings. Teens who lack emotional regulation skills may have trouble controlling their emotions at the slightest inconvenience. For example, your teen can be happy scrolling on social media but once you ask them to do something for you, they become irritated and moody. Rapid mood swings can also indicate an underlying behavioral issue like Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD). As a parent or guardian, you should take rapid mood swings seriously, as they can indicate emotional regulation issues.
Impulsive Behavior
As teens age, they tend to take more risks. This is attributable to brain development. Your teen becomes impulsive because they do not weigh the pros and cons of their behavior. If your teen has emotional dysregulation, their emotions may drive them to engage in risk-taking behavior. Overwhelming feelings can make your teen make quick and poorly thought-out decisions just to relieve their distress.
Difficulty in Managing Anger
When teens are emotionally dysregulated, they can struggle to manage anger. Emotional dysregulation causes overwhelming emotions that are hard to control. Dysregulated teens experience feelings much more intensely than their peers. They can become aggressive or violent when provoked since they cannot effectively manage their anger.
Social Withdrawal
Emotional dysregulation can cause your teen to become socially withdrawn. This is because they experience feelings of guilt, shame, or anger much more intensely. They can isolate themselves to hide their emotions. Due to their strong feelings, social interactions can make them feel exhausted. Instead of dealing with such interactions, your teen may seclude themselves. They use social isolation as a negative coping mechanism.
Your teen’s inability to control their emotions can make them sensitive to rejection. They may fear that their peers will reject them because of this, avoiding social settings and becoming disconnected from society.
Self-harm or Destructive Actions
Teen self-harm is often used as a negative coping mechanism for emotional dysregulation. It is most prevalent in teens with BPD, a mental health condition that is characterized by the inability to control strong emotions. Self-harm offers temporary relief for strong emotions and is used by many teens to relieve emotional pain. When your teen engages in self-harm, the body releases endorphins, which relieve pain and stabilize their mood.
Increased Interpersonal Conflicts
Emotional dysregulation can cause your teen to become more aggressive or violent. When they feel provoked, they have trouble controlling their emotions and can become verbally or physically aggressive. This increases the likelihood of interpersonal conflicts and damaged relationships.
Substance Abuse
Overwhelming feelings can cause your teen to use drugs for temporary relief. Drugs like nicotine and marijuana are popular for emotional regulation. Marijuana is often used for its calming and relaxing sensation. Nicotine use can also alleviate stress in the short term. Due to its addictive nature, teen nicotine use traps them in a cycle of use to provide temporary relief from emotional dysregulation.
High-Risk Sexual Behaviors
If your teen is emotionally dysregulated, they may resort to high-risk sexual behaviors to reduce overwhelming emotions. During sex, the body releases various hormones like endorphins and oxytocin. These hormones affect mood and cause us to feel relaxed. This offers temporary relief from emotional dysregulation. Your teen may not take precautions such as using protection as they need a quick fix for their unsettled mind.
Psychological Signs of Emotional Dysregulation in Teens
Emotionally dysregulated teens may exhibit the following psychological symptoms:
Chronic Irritability
Is your teen easily irritated? Are they frustrated by small things? This may be an indicator of emotional dysregulation. Teens who have trouble controlling their emotions get irked easily since they get provoked by small things. As a parent or guardian, you should pay close attention to your teen’s behavior to prevent the long-term effects of emotional dysregulation.
Depression and Anxiety
Emotional dysregulation can lead to the onset of depression and teen anxiety. When your teen experiences overwhelming feelings, they may become socially isolated. Over time, the social withdrawal can exacerbate feelings of loneliness. Emotional dysregulation can also cause low self-worth. Your teen struggles to understand why they cannot control their emotions while their peers can. A combination of these factors can lead to depression.
Not being able to interact properly with peers can cause your teen to become incredibly anxious. They become fearful of social gatherings and avoid them altogether. This crippling fear of interacting with new people and places is called social anxiety.
Shame and Guilt
If your teen has emotional dysregulation, they may constantly criticize their inability to control their emotions. They feel like they are a burden to others and get overwhelmed with shame and guilt. These feelings can make them develop unhealthy habits like excessive spending, perfectionism, and avoidance behaviors.
Suicidal Thoughts
Overwhelming feelings can make your teen develop suicidal ideation. Imagine feeling out of control each and every day. This is probably what your teen experiences in their daily lives. As a result, they may develop suicidal thoughts as a means to escape overwhelming negative feelings. They want to end it all and not be a burden to their family or friends. Unaddressed emotional dysregulation can lead to attempted suicide.
Long-Term Consequences of Ignoring Emotional Dysregulation
Unaddressed emotional dysregulation has numerous long-term consequences. These include the following:
Emotional Dysregulation Treatment at Nexus Teen Academy
Nexus Teen Academy is a premier mental health treatment facility in Arizona. It offers treatment for various behavioral issues, such as teen emotional dysregulation. Its highly skilled staff provides tailor-made, personalized treatment approaches to cater to every teen’s individual needs.
Nexus Teen Academy provides a comprehensive treatment approach that ensures your teen is effectively treated using different modalities. We combine evidence-based treatment with complementary approaches to improve treatment outcomes.
To learn more about our programming and how our team can help your teen with emotional dysregulation and other mental health disorders, contact our admissions staff today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Emotional dysregulation can have various signs and symptoms. These include the following:
Teenager moodiness causes teens to experience temporary changes in mood. On the other hand, emotional dysregulation causes chronic emotional outbursts that can be hard to control or manage. They also have severe impacts and impair daily functioning.
Some causes of emotional dysregulation include: