Top 13 Signs Your Teenager Is Struggling

struggling teen

As a parent, it can be heartbreaking to see your child struggling. Today’s teens are at risk for many challenges, including depression, drug or alcohol use, mental illness, physical, sexual or emotional abuse or bullying. The following 13 signs can indicate that your child is struggling and needs help.

1.Suddenly becoming secretive
If your once-open teen suddenly becomes unreadable and secretive, your child may be struggling with a serious issue that they may not feel comfortable disclosing.

2. Gradual or sudden drop in grades or performance at school or work
Oftentimes, when a teen is struggling, concentration, attendance and focus in school and at work begins to drop to a level where you notice that your child’s grades are significantly slipping or your child has been missing excessive amounts of school or work.

3. Extreme or otherwise unexplainable mood swings
While most teenagers experience mood swings, sometimes mood swings are extreme, bouncing from extremely elated to intensely sad and angry, or the mood may be completely unrelated to the environment or situation.

4. Violent temper
Any time your teen becomes violent or exhibits a dangerous level of anger, it is a cause for concern. This is especially true if your child has verbalized or written threats or plans for carrying out an act of violence.

5. A sudden change in interests or a drastic decrease in enjoyment of activities
A sudden loss of enjoyment in activities can signify depression, whereas a complete and sudden change of interests can accompany drug use, engaging in risky behaviors or criminal behavior, especially if the interests are drastically in contrast with your teen’s personality and previous interests.

6. Experimentation with drugs or alcohol
Many teens are curious about smoking, drugs or alcohol, but noticing that your child is experimenting with drug or alcohol use can signify other struggles, especially if the experimentation goes beyond one instance.

7. An increase in risky behaviors
Engaging in risky sexual practices, drug use, dangerous driving behaviors or other risky actions can also be a sign that your adolescent is dealing with challenges that may require intervention.

8. An increase in sleeping or spending time alone
Depression, anxiety, drug use or bullying can all contribute to an adolescent spending more time in his or her room alone, sleeping or avoiding hanging out with friends or family.

9. A drastic increase in rebellion or defiance
While many adolescents experience periods of rebellion or defiance in an effort to find a sense of independence and identity, excessive rebellion or defiance of rules or laws can be a sign of struggle as well.

10. Lying
Many times, teens that are struggling may resort to lying about their activities or their whereabouts in an effort to avoid being caught engaging in risky behaviors or coping mechanisms.

11. Avoidance of peer group or sudden change in peers
Most teens are relatively social, so if your child has suddenly began avoiding his or peers, it is possible that they need help coping with some issues.

12. Finding humor in extremely distressing situations or a focus on violence or trauma
This sign does not refer to seeing the good in bad situations, but rather, it refers to finding traumatic situations, such as school shootings, war or terrorist events, humorous. In addition, a focus on instances of mass violence and an agreement with the perpetrator may signify other struggles or mental health issues that need to be addressed.

13. Intense sadness
Finally, extreme sadness, extended crying that occurs for weeks or months or suicidal ideations are important signs that your teen is struggling.

If you notice that your child is experiencing one or more of these symptoms over an extended period of time and you are becoming concerned, call us for a free consultation. We can help you determine the best course of action to take to help your teen overcome these challenges and begin to thrive. We specialize in helping troubled teens overcome obstacles and offer our services at no cost to you.

Request Free Admissions Information

Step 1 of 3 - Your Contact Info

Written by Natalie

21 Aug, 2014

Recent Posts

Understanding Teen Sexuality and How to Parent It

Understanding Teen Sexuality and How to Parent It

Adolescence is a transformative time with sexuality emerging as a natural part of development. However, navigating this new aspect of life can be complex for both teens and their parents. In this post, we'll delve into understanding teen sexuality and exploring...

Strategies for Parents Needing Help to Manage Teenage Rebellion

Strategies for Parents Needing Help to Manage Teenage Rebellion

Parenting teenagers is challenging under the best of circumstances, but dealing with acts of defiance and rebellion can take both an emotional and physical toll on parents. The turbulent phase of adolescence brings unpredictable mood swings, risk-taking behaviors, and...

My Teen is Using Drugs, What Do I Do?

My Teen is Using Drugs, What Do I Do?

Discovering your teenager is using drugs can feel like the bottom has dropped out of your world. As parents, we pour our hearts into nurturing and guiding our children, envisioning bright futures full of promise and potential. But learning they are caught in the grips...

How Parents Can Cope With Reactive Attachment Disorder in Teens

How Parents Can Cope With Reactive Attachment Disorder in Teens

Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) can create a heartbreaking reality for parents - a teenager who seems perpetually detached, distrustful, or even hostile. To understand this struggle, we must examine the intricacies of attachment disorders and their impact on a...

7 Strategies to Help Teens With ADHD

7 Strategies to Help Teens With ADHD

If your teen has a neurodevelopmental disorder like ADHD, helping them to grow into healthy functioning, happy adults can feel like an uphill battle. However, if you come prepared and follow the right strategies, you can help your teen to thrive through their...

Needing Help For Teen? How Help Your Teen Now Supports Parents

Needing Help For Teen? How Help Your Teen Now Supports Parents

No one quite understands how tumultuous the teen years can be more than the teens themselves and their parents. Still, there are organizations parents can turn to when they’re at an impasse and aren’t sure where to turn next. For instance, our team at Help Your Teen...

You May Also Like…

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *