Adolescent Behavior Disorders

Adolescence is a critical phase in everyone's life, filled with confusion, conflicts and arguments. It is marked with changes in every aspect, be it physically, emotionally, morally and intellectually. Indeed, parenting teenager requires more understanding, rather than be strict with the parental norms. Parents should educate about adolescent psychology and development. They should understand that their children are growing and want to make their own identity in life. If not cooperated properly, they may manifest adolescent behavior disorders, which happens with many teens.

What is Normal Adolescent Behavior?

At the onset of adolescent years, parents may be surprised with the sudden behavioral changes seen in their children. They become more attached to their friends and prefer spending quality time with them. Going against their decision or not giving what they want are taken as challenges by most teens. Those are warning signs for parents that their children are no more kids, but they have grown up. These are quite normal for teenagers and they will get over with time, may be after a few years. Every responsible parent need to handle the situations very carefully to avoid worst cases of adolescent behavior disorders.

Adolescent Behavioral Disorders

There is no exact age group as to when does adolescence starts. It is assumed that a child turning 13 years has entered his/her adolescent years. Nevertheless, it may start earlier at 10 or 11 years in some; while adolescence may begin late in others. Usually, parents feel insecure that their child no more need them in making decisions, which is not so. On the contrary, teenagers are full of life and they want to experiment different shades of life in their own way. It is quite normal to behave independently for their age group. However, there are some adolescent behavior problems, which parents should not overlook, like:

Depression in Adolescence
Included in the list of common adolescent behavior disorders are depression and anxiety. Many teenagers get exposed to fearful, insecure and uneasy situations, which become the main reasons for anxiety. In case of sudden changes, like increased weakness, less social interaction, change in appetite and sleep disorder in teens, parents should not delay in getting professional help. Understanding the signs of teenage depression and dealing them are sole responsibilities for parents.

Eating Disorders in Adolescence
Change in the eating habits and skipping meals are seen in almost all teenager girls and some teenager boys. As teens are very conscious about their looks, they tend to skip meals with the hope of maintaining a perfect figure that all their friends will adore. Eating disorder in teens is normal to some extent, but being obsessive with it can lead to malnutrition, bulimia, anorexia and other serious health conditions.

Conduct Disorder in Adolescence
Conduct disorder in children and adolescents refers to committing offenses and violation of rules, without thinking twice about the concerns of other people. Some teenagers feel proud that they violated the traffic rules or society norms, thinking that they can do anything they want. This adolescence behavioral disorder should be treated timely, as it can worsen and become more destructive with time.

Oppositional Defiance Disorder
Refusing to obey parental commands or going by their own wishes is also one of the adolescent behavior disorders. Oppositional defiance disorder, abbreviated as ODD, is commonly seen in children, as they turn teenagers. Repetitive disobedience, stubborn, hot temper, argumentative, relativistic and hostile are the signs observed in teenagers with oppositional defiance disorder.

Other Adolescent Behavior Disorders
Other behavioral disorders that affect adolescents are, obsessive compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), self-harm disorder and intention for substance abuse. In fact, teenage smoking and teenage drinking rates are raising day by day. All these affect the academic career and future goals of teenagers. Thus, any unusual adolescent behavior problems that cause harm to themselves and to other people should not be taken lightly.

So, these were some of the adolescent behavior disorders that may be observed in teens. To avoid such cases, parents who have a teenager at home should educate about normal behavioral changes to cope up easily with the growing child. They should give their child's privacy, while still maintaining parental expectations. A good communication between parents and teens is the way to share and sort out problems, before they become too difficult to handle.