Understanding Anger Issues in Your Teenage Girl

Everyone gets in a bad mood from time to time, but teenagers typically have emotional outbursts on several occasions, including acting out in anger. When parents witness repeated symptoms of anger issues in a girl, they may not understand what triggers them and how to handle them.

Hillcrest offers comprehensive care at our residential facility for teenagers experiencing poor mental health. Our team of caring and experienced clinicians helps teens understand their mental health and work to improve it. We keep parents updated on their child’s progress and encourage them to attend family therapy sessions. 

Contact Hillcrest today to get more information about how we can help your teenage daughter sort through her emotional challenges and develop healthy coping skills.

What Are Anger Issues in a Teenage Girl About?

Teenage girls can feel and express anger for a lot of different reasons. Some are easy to identify, like disagreeing with someone, being cheated, being blamed for something they didn’t do, and more. But can the reasons why a teenage girl is often angry go beyond situational anger and become more of a default setting?

Reasons that may cause anger in a teen girl include:

• Bullying someone or being bullied
• Family discord
• Difficulties in the dating world
• Trouble understanding and doing well at classwork and tests
• Drug or alcohol abuse
• An adverse childhood experience
• Unhealthy relationship with parents and other family members
• Dealing with a world that often feels like a modern dystopia full of political, environmental, and personal strife
• Attending a new school
• A falling out with their friends or social circle
• Fear of and fallout from dealing with a school shooting
• An untreated mental illness 

Symptoms of Anger Issues in a Girl

When a teenage daughter expresses painful and uncomfortable emotions through anger, parents often don’t know if this is typical adolescent behavior or if something more is going on.

Common symptoms of anger issues in a girl include:

• Starting arguments 
• Refusing to stop fighting with someone
• Physical acts of aggression
• Giving the silent treatment
• Yelling instead of using a calm voice
• Playing one parent against another
• Angry for no discernible reason

When a teenage girl exhibits this behavior, parents should try to speak calmly to their child when they have settled down and ask them if there is a reason behind their anger that isn’t obvious to others. This opens the door to having quiet conversations that can help identify issues the teen is experiencing and why they are so angry.

Could My Teenage Girl Have a Mental Health Disorder?

Anger is a common symptom for a lot of mental health disorders, even if a parent has yet to make the connection. Even mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, can cause tremendous anger. Coupled with how teens are awash in hormones and physical and emotional changes, anger may have more than one source.

Some of the mental health disorders that include anger as a possible sign include:

• Depression
• Mood disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Psychotic disorders
• Trauma disorders
• Personality disorders
• Substance abuse 
• Behavioral disorders
• Dual diagnosis
• Suicidal ideation

Treatment Options for Mental Illnesses in Teenagers

Teenagers who have a mental illness have choices for the levels of care they can attend. For some, residential care works the best because it gives girls a chance to get away from the stressors of their home and school lives and really concentrate on finding out who they are and how to communicate effectively with themselves and others. 

Other teens do well in an outpatient program, which includes daytime or evening therapy sessions but allows them to still live at home. Additionally, many adolescents respond well to the monitored use of prescription medications. Options for that will be discussed when enrolling in any treatment program. 

Does Therapy Help Treat Anger in Teenage Girls?

On the surface, anger in teenagers can seem like yet another emotional outburst that is par for the course, but can it be a sign of having a mental illness? Many times, the symptoms of anger issues in a girl actually indicate she is struggling with poor mental health. When this happens, parents want to find the right program that offers several types of therapy to teach their daughter how to understand and manage her emotions. 

Common therapies that help teenagers ease their symptoms and manage their moods include:

• Adolescent Therapy Programs
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Education
• Behavioral Therapy
• Psychodynamic Therapy
• Interpersonal Therapy
• Family Therapy
• Group Therapy
• Personal Development 

Begin Treatment for Mental Health Disorders at Hillcrest

Do you worry about how the symptoms of anger issues in a girl have shown up in your teenage daughter, and want to understand what’s going on? The teen years bring about many challenges for both the child and her parents. If she is experiencing angry outbursts, moodiness, and other symptoms, it’s imperative to get a diagnosis.

Hillcrest Adolescent Treatment Center offers highly effective residential treatment for teens who struggle with poor mental health. We match them with multi-disciplinary therapies and discuss options for prescription medications. Our program is designed to help young people feel less angry, anxious, and depressed while keeping their parents up-to-date on the progress made.

Contact us today, and let’s talk about what we can do to help your child develop healthy coping skills that change her behavior. Ask about our free insurance verifications.