All teens can be forgetful or unusually emotional at times, and it’s easy to write this off as “normal” teen behavior. But if you’ve noticed that it keeps happening, there might be something else going on underneath.
When stress runs too high for too long, it changes how the teenage brain works. This can affect emotions and memory, which may help to explain why you’re seeing more mistakes or outbursts than usual. Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone, and its effects on the teen brain are a big part of teenagers’ moods and emotions. To help explain the connection, this page will cover:
The brain triggers a release of cortisol through a system called the HPA axis whenever it senses danger or feels under a lot of pressure.[1] Cortisol drives the fight-or-flight response, sharpening focus and getting the body ready to react.
In addition to emergency situations, cortisol release also follows a daily rhythm, with higher levels in the morning and lower levels at night.[1] The morning rise is part of what helps your body wake up and get going. In a healthy stress response, the system is able to switch it on when it’s needed and switch off again when the pressure has passed.
Cortisol has a bad reputation in popular culture, and the general consensus online is that the less cortisol, the better. But that simplification isn’t correct. A short burst of stress is perfectly natural, and it’s very useful in situations when danger is present, or a situation demands a fast response.
There is some truth in the idea, though. Problems start when the body can’t switch the stress response off. That leads to high teen cortisol levels when they aren’t needed, which affects both mental and physical health.
Stress affects people of any age, but the cortisol-teen brain link is particularly strong as this is when the brain is most sensitive to the hormone. Adolescence changes the stress system response itself, and teens can produce stronger or longer-lasting cortisol responses than adults.[2]
This is partly because teen brain development is still underway. The prefrontal cortex is the part that handles judgment calls and self-control. It keeps maturing and continues to do so into the mid-to-late twenties.[3]
The brain’s emotional systems are still developing too, so the same situation can feel more intense to a teen brain than it would to an adult.
Some parts of the teen brain are more sensitive to the presence of cortisol than others. These include the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, and the amygdala.[4] Between them, these areas handle:
When a teen is under stress, it reaches all of them at once.
Stress makes it harder to concentrate because elevated stress hormones weaken activity in the prefrontal cortex.[4] This is why you might notice that your stressed teen struggles to settle into homework or gets distracted more easily than usual.
Stress also affects memory, so if a teen is under high, constant stress, it can impact how well they take in and hold on to new information.[4] That’s a big problem at school, where remembering what they’re taught is vital for passing exams. If their grades then dip, this can cause even more stress.
Stress disrupts the balance between two parts of the brain, the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. It turns up activity in the amygdala, which sets off the emotional reactions. It also lowers activity in the prefrontal cortex, which usually keeps those reactions in check.[4]
The result is a stressed teen brain that reacts more quickly and takes longer to calm down. This is why, under a lot of stress, your teen may be quicker to snap or feel easily overwhelmed by things that wouldn’t normally bother them.
To parents and teachers, it can look like they’re just being difficult. Often, their brain is running in a more reactive state, and it’s harder for them to control their reactions.
A single stressful event is rarely a major concern. The body can handle short bursts of stress and recover well from them. The problem is stress that never lets up, the kind that keeps the system switched on for days, weeks, or even months at a time. In teenagers, that stress can come from things you may not even know about as a parent, like ongoing trouble with friends or issues at school that they keep to themselves.
Research shows that a stress response that stays active when it should be resting has negative effects on both the body and the mind.[5] In teens, chronic stress is linked to anxiety and depression, and both of these can disrupt sleep.
Poor sleep then makes the stress system more reactive, and higher stress makes sleep worse again. That loop is hard for a teen to break without help.
Signs of chronic stress in teens include:
On their own, these are the types of symptoms most teens experience at some point. But if several of them appear together and stay, it’s something worth paying attention to.
Mission Prep is here to help you or your loved one take the next steps towards an improved mental well-being.
It’s impossible to remove all traces of stress from your teen’s life, and you shouldn’t want to, because some stress is a natural part of life. The aim, instead, is to lower the constant, grinding kind of stress and help their system get back to switching off properly.
Physical activity is one of the most reliable ways to bring stress down, and the research on exercise for teen mood and anxiety is strong.[6]
The movement doesn’t need to be intense, just something that gets them active and that they enjoy enough to do every day.
That could be a walk around the block while listening to a podcast they like, or a regular game of whatever sport they play. If your child pushes back on the idea of “exercise,” don’t call it that. A dog walk, a bike ride to a friend’s house, a swim, or a pickup game does the same job.
Teens are in a period in their lives where it can feel like they’re constantly being told what to do, at exactly the age when they want more independence. School is set and rigid, and home often is too, so it can help to give them more say in their day-to-day life.
That could mean putting them in charge of an easy daily task or allowing them more of a say in the smaller things, like what they eat for dinner. Research links parental support for teen autonomy with fewer emotional problems and fewer symptoms of depression.[7] This can help a lot because those problems and stress tend to feed each other.
Connecting with a teenager can be hard work, but a warm, steady relationship at home can contribute to better teen mental health and lower rates of mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
This can mean:
Most teenage stress passes with time and support at home, but in some cases, even with measures in place, stress still persists. If you recognize your teen in anything we’ve covered on this page, it’s often easier to change a stress pattern early than after it’s had years to settle in.
Speak with a professional if stress or low mood has lasted for weeks and is getting in the way of their daily school or home life. Other signs include:
If your teen ever talks about hurting themselves or says that they don’t want to live anymore, treat it as urgent. Call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at any time or dial 911 in an emergency.
Mission Prep provides treatment for teens experiencing various mental health conditions. Mental Health support is a phone call away – call 866-901-4047 to learn about your treatment options.
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If your teen has been stuck in a state of stress for a while, it can start to wear on every area of their life. If this happens, it may be time for extra support.
Mission Prep Teen Treatment works with teens whose stress is causing or is linked to things like ongoing anxiety or depression. We start by finding out what is keeping their stress switched on, and then build a plan around it. We offer a variety of treatment programs and use evidence-based therapeutic approaches and innovative interventions to foster sustainable change for adolescents and their families.
Whether your teen could benefit from residential treatment at one of our locations or something more flexible, like an outpatient mental health program delivered virtually, our team can help. Mission Prep Teen Treatment accepts insurance and is in-network with most major providers. We are happy to help you check your insurance coverage for mental health care.
Start the admissions process online or call 866-901-4047 to speak with a caring member of our team who can answer any questions you might have. Reach out for a free, no-obligation conversation.
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