By Lisa Damour
Guide to adolescent emotional development
Subject
Themes
Powerful emotions in teenagers are a feature, not a bug. Yet three converging cultural forces have made adults increasingly fearful of adolescent unhappiness. The proliferation of psychiatric medications since Prozac's arrival in 1987 has subtly fostered the belief that emotional pain should be chemically eliminated. The wellness industry, now a $131 billion juggernaut, aggressively markets the false promise that self-care products can prevent unwanted feelings, leaving teenagers who still feel stressed convinced they are "failing at wellness." Meanwhile, adolescents genuinely do feel worse than previous generations, with rates of persistent sadness, anxiety, and suicidal ideation climbing steeply even before the COVID-19 pandemic doubled teen depression symptoms. A more useful definition of mental health emerges: not sustained happiness, but having the right feelings at the right time and managing them effectively.
Powerful emotions in teenagers are a feature, not a bug. Yet three converging cultural forces have made adults increasingly fearful of adolescent unhappiness. The proliferation of psychiatric medications since Prozac's arrival in 1987 has subtly fostered the belief that emotional pain should be…
Published in February 2023, this work arrives at a moment of acute concern about adolescent mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in early 2020, disrupted the central developmental tasks of adolescence, namely spending time with peers and establishing independence, for millions of young…
A dangerous equation has taken hold in contemporary culture: mental health equals feeling good. This belief, reinforced by the $131 billion wellness industry and the proliferation of psychiatric medications, has fundamentally distorted how parents and teenagers understand psychological wellbeing.…
The teenage brain is not a finished product with a few minor updates pending. It is a structure undergoing wholesale renovation, and this reconstruction explains much of what adults find baffling, frustrating, and alarming about adolescent behaviour. Understanding the neuroscience transforms the…
From the earliest moments of life, gender shapes how emotions are perceived, expressed, and responded to. Adults shown the same crying infant describe it differently depending on whether they are told the baby is a boy or a girl: a boy is angry; a girl is distressed or frightened. These seemingly…
When Jada sits down in her therapist's office, heavy with the news that she did not get the lead in the school musical, what helps her is not advice, not reassurance, and not problem-solving. What helps her is being heard. Through patient, unhurried listening, she moves from naming a surface…
Expression and regulation represent two complementary halves of healthy emotional functioning. While much of adolescent emotional wellbeing depends on the ability to articulate and share feelings, there are moments when emotions must be brought under control. These moments arise when feelings are…
Tom, once a nervous nine-year-old in therapy for nighttime fears, resurfaces years later as a teenager. He texts his former therapist, now going by Tom rather than Tommy, and arrives at the office looking dramatically different but carrying a familiar undercurrent of tension. He confesses something…
Zach, a lanky high school sophomore, arrives at his Thursday therapy appointment looking as though he belongs in bed. He stayed up until two in the morning playing World of Warcraft on a school night, which is completely out of character for this conscientious student and dedicated athlete. Probing…
Over lunch at a favourite local restaurant, Valerie shares a puzzling story about her thirteen-year-old daughter Natalie. On Christmas Day, Natalie unwrapped gifts from her grandparents and discovered they had bought her clothes she already owned. Her disappointment was immediate and visible, though…
Sixteen-year-old Jada walks into her Thursday therapy session carrying only her car keys, moving slowly, visibly weighed down. She has just learned that the spring musical casting is out, and despite auditioning for the lead, she has been placed in the chorus. As she settles heavily onto the couch,…
At 8:59 on a Monday morning, Mark calls about his daughter Anna. She is now fourteen, generally in a much better place than when her parents first sought help during her difficult thirteenth year, but a new problem has emerged. Anna has developed intrusive, persistent worries about loved ones dying.…
By Lisa Damour
Subject
Themes
Powerful emotions in teenagers are a feature, not a bug. Yet three converging cultural forces have made adults increasingly fearful of adolescent unhappiness. The proliferation of psychiatric medications since Prozac's arrival in 1987 has subtly fostered the belief that emotional pain should be chemically eliminated. The wellness industry, now a $131 billion juggernaut, aggressively markets the false promise that self-care products can prevent unwanted feelings, leaving teenagers who still feel stressed convinced they are "failing at wellness." Meanwhile, adolescents genuinely do feel worse than previous generations, with rates of persistent sadness, anxiety, and suicidal ideation climbing steeply even before the COVID-19 pandemic doubled teen depression symptoms. A more useful definition of mental health emerges: not sustained happiness, but having the right feelings at the right time and managing them effectively.