Best Treatments for ADHD and Anger in Adolescents

If you are the parent or caregiver of an adolescent with attention deficit hyperactive disorder, you may have noticed a tendency toward ADHD and anger. Depending on the age of your child, he or she might struggle with impulsive anger, explosive anger, or anger that doesn’t seem to be in proportion to the infraction.

Why do ADHD and anger often overlap?

Researchers aren’t certain why children and teens with ADHD do have a higher degree of anger issues, but many believe it’s because of emotional dysregulation. This is when a child or teen faces a challenging circumstance and has trouble bringing his or her emotions into check.

An example might be that a child with ADHD is playing with a specific toy until the timer goes off. His sibling comes to get it because it’s now time to switch toys. The child with ADHD has an explosive response and hurts his sibling because he isn’t ready to give up the toy.

For an older child, an example of ADHD and anger might be that he can’t find a book he needs for school and it’s time to leave. His frustration turns quickly to anger when his dad asks if he’s ready to go. He may punch the wall and scream back, “I can’t go to school!”

This would seem to be an extreme response to a parent who is simply asking if he’s ready to leave for school. The adolescent is having trouble coping with his frustration, and it turns to explosive anger rapidly.

Best treatment for ADHD and anger in adolescents

Many researchers agree that a multimodal approach is best for adolescents with ADHD.

This simply means that a parent may need to help their child as he grows because the symptoms related to ADHD will change over time. He might begin with medication and cognitive behavioral therapy, but then as he enters the teen years, it could be beneficial to add parent training.

Parents can learn how to help their child develop executive functioning skills, such as time management so that the child’s frustration doesn’t lead to explosive anger as he gets older. Working on one skill at a time is best, but taking a long-term, layered approach is what many psychologists and researchers believe to be most fruitful for anyone with ADHD – children, teens, or adults.

How to make a plan.

If you’d like guidance on helping your child as he or she grows, we’re here to help. Our offices can direct you to the appropriate counselor or psychologist.

Some of the treatment options may include training for you as the parent. Beyond executive functioning skills, other tools a trained psychologist might coach you to use are containment strategies or helping adolescents learn how to self-identify their emotions.

Containment is helping kids feel safe to share their emotions, knowing that their feelings won’t push away their parents. It simply means parents are consistent with their responses and boundaries. It also helps if parents monitor their own emotions and stay calm in the teen’s anger.

ADHD and anger in adolescents aren’t paths you want to walk alone. Let a trained counselor help your family decide which treatments are right for you now and how to evaluate what you might need to add in the future.