Anger Management Issues and Teens

Adolescence is a challenging time in a young person’s life. With it comes many difficult lessons that must be learned, and a whole slew of emotions that can be hard to navigate.

It is not uncommon for teens to struggle with anger management issues. Expressing anger is a normal response for teens, as long as it does not turn into violence or rage. Indications that a teenager’s anger may be outside the realm of normalcy and may need to be professionally addressed can include any of the following:

• Frequent agitation and irritability
• Emotional outbursts
• Rage
• Bullying
• Getting into physical fights
• Excessive arguing
• Throws temper tantrums
• Destroying property
• Exhibiting cruel behavior towards those who are unable to defend themselves (i.e. younger siblings, pets…etc.).
• Self-harming behaviors

Anger typically arises when a young person feels as though they have been mistreated and/ or they sense that someone else is being wronged. A teenager’s body then engages the fight or flight response, which physically manifests with an increase in one’s heart rate, higher respiration rates, slowing down digestion, and increasing circulation. Young people who do not have anger management problems will frequently express anger by yelling, cursing, and/ or gesturing. Teens that have an anger management problem will be unable to respond in that way and in many cases escalate the situation without any ability to deescalate. This can lead to social isolation, difficulty performing at school (falling behind educationally), and an inability to foster new friendships.

The amount of social and emotional lessons that a young person must learn during their adolescence is vast. There are outside pressures to succeed and internal pressures to meet seemingly impossible standards. It is important to help teach your teen proper anger management tools to diffuse the natural frustration and anger that can occur simply as a result of maturing. There are mental health professionals that specialize in assisting teenagers learn healthy coping mechanisms and anger management tools, and there is no harm in reaching out. The best thing you can do for your child is to arm them with healthy social and emotional tools to manage the plethora of challenges that arise throughout adolescence and after.

Every teenager is different and has unique needs. At Pacific Teen Treatment, we work with each of our residents to create tailored treatment plans. Our goal is to help our residents learn healthy tools in our program that will benefit them far beyond the scope of our program. We believe that being fully immersed in our treatment program will help to realign some of the unhelpful habits and patterns that were created prior to their arrival.

Focusing on daily obligations and chores, while offering a variety of therapeutic modalities, healthy eating, carving out time to exercise, and providing ample sleep are essential aspects of our program. We feel it is important to have our residents practice making positive and healthy choices, regularly, to instill a routine that will benefit them in the future. We are also able to accommodate young people’s educational needs, for those that may require it. Teenage anger management issues can be difficult to manage as a parent. If there is any concern that your child may be struggling with anger management issues, the first step is to contact your child’s physician, for an evaluation. You are always welcome to reach out to us at Pacific Teen Treatment for more information, as we are happy to help in any way we can.

For Information and Support

Seeking help is never easy, but you are not alone! If you or someone you know is in need of mental health treatment, we strongly encourage you to reach out for help as quickly as possible. It is not uncommon for many mental health difficulties to impact an individual for the long term. The earlier you seek support, the sooner you and your loved ones can return to happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.

Our admissions team is available to answer any general questions regarding mental health issues, treatment, and/or specific questions about the program at

Pacific Teen Treatment and how we might be able to help your family. We can be reached by phone 24/7 at 800-531-5769. You can also contact us via email at info@pacifictrtc.com or through our contact form HERE (link).