Mood Swings

Hi...
I am 16 yrs old and I suffer from mood swings every single week(for 5 months now).I lose my nerves and snap at people, in the course of the last week i have got into 6 serious fights with different people.

Sometimes I am very cheerful, cant stop laughing but sometimes I am really really sad and i feel that i dont want to live.

I have this huge amount of anger,fear and sadness that whenever I think is gone comes back after a few days...

These emotions are driving me crazy, so my question is "Is this normal at my age or is there something for me to worry about?"

Ben's Answer:

It's too complicated an issue for me to give you a definite opinion - but I will say this: If you normally don't have these kind of sudden, extreme mood swings, or fights with people... and suddenly, for the past 5 months this is going on - then this should be taken very seriously. The cause could be many different things - from nutritional imbalances, to heavy metal toxicity, bipolar disorder, or other physical issue, like a thyroid condition. It's also possible that this is purely emotional/psychological.

Whatever it is, you should get checked out by a well qualified therapist and medical doctor or psychiatrist who can rule all these things out. Certain issues (like nutritional issues, or toxins) are almost always disregarded and not tested by medical doctors or mainstream psychiatrists - so for those issues you would probably have to see someone like a Naturopath.

Early treatment could save you a lot of trouble, or a worsening condition that could become more overwhelming.

Best wishes,
Ben Schwarcz, MFT
Santa Rosa Psychotherapist





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