What to do if your teenager has anger management issues.

It is frustrating being a teenager, no longer a child, but not yet accepted as an adult. For the parent it is a tightrope between keeping the teenager safe and allowing them the freedom to make their own decisions. There are a lot of pressures to deal with as a teenager from school, from friends, from family.

Sometimes the fluctuating hormones in a teenager's body make it difficult for them to make sound judgments and they become even more agitated. That agitation can become anger and that anger can become the only way a teenager is able to express themselves. One of the symptoms of depression in teenagers is extreme irritability and anger, so they may need assessment and treatment for this.

Being unable to control your temper, however, is not always about depression but often a coping mechanism for a world that seems hostile and critical to a teenager. They feel they can do nothing right, even though others expectations are exaggerated in the teenagers own mind and in fact they are being hard on themselves. Any restriction of their behavior is seen as a direct challenge and instead of calm discussion; the parent gets fury and shouting from the aggrieved teenager.

If your teenager only communicates in this fashion, they need help, before the verbal aggression becomes physical violence. When anger is the only way a person handles their world it becomes very dangerous, both for them, and the people around them. Dealing with someone who is constantly angry is exhausting and staying calm, though the best option can become increasingly difficult.

The teenager needs help to manage their anger and therapy of some sort to replace the anger with other, more suitable ways to deal with the stresses and challenges of life. Before the anger turns to violence, refer your teenager to some kind of teenage camp, either a ranch camp or wilderness camp where they are completely away from their current environment. The family will need a break from the teenager's extreme anger as much as the teenager needs to be removed from situations that make them angry.

The therapeutic approach at these camps focuses on retraining the teenager in coping methods without anger, and getting to the root of the anger, recognizing the triggers and replacing the responses. The teenager will have access to a range of therapists and educators in a setting far removed from the one they are used to. They frequently come to appreciate nature and calm in a way nigh on impossible living in the city. Angry teenagers can be both destructive and self-destructive and it needs to be dealt with before further harm is done.