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Emotional Dysregulation in Adolescents: A DBT Approach

03/12/2025 | Upward Psychology |

Adolescence is a time of rapid change—physically, emotionally, and socially. With increasing academic pressures, shifting friendships, and growing independence, it’s no surprise that many teenagers experience intense emotions and difficulty managing them. Emotional ups and downs are normal, but for some adolescents, these emotions feel overwhelming, unpredictable, and hard to control. This is known as emotional dysregulation.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) provides a powerful, evidence-based framework to help adolescents navigate their emotions in a healthy way. Originally developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, DBT teaches essential skills to regulate emotions, handle stress, and improve relationships (Linehan, 1993).

What Is Emotional Dysregulation?

Emotional dysregulation means having difficulty managing emotional responses, leading to:

  • Strong emotional reactions to situations that others may handle more easily
  • Mood swings that feel intense and hard to predict
  • Difficulty calming down after getting upset
  • Impulsive reactions based on emotions rather than careful decision-making
  • Frustration in friendships and family relationships due to emotional outbursts

For adolescents, these struggles can make school, friendships, and family life feel overwhelming. Emotional dysregulation is often linked to sensitivity to stress, social pressures, and a developing brain that is still learning self-control (Casey et al., 2019).

How DBT Helps Adolescents Manage Emotions

DBT focuses on four key areas to help adolescents understand and regulate their emotions. These skills increase self-awareness, improve decision-making, and strengthen relationships.

1. Mindfulness: Understanding Emotions Without Overreacting

Mindfulness is the ability to focus on the present moment without judgment. It helps teens become aware of their emotions without being controlled by them (Kabat-Zinn, 1990).

For example, instead of immediately reacting with frustration when a friend doesn’t text back, mindfulness encourages pausing and thinking:
“I feel annoyed, but this doesn’t mean they’re ignoring me on purpose.”

Simple mindfulness techniques include:

  • Taking slow, deep breaths when feeling overwhelmed
  • Observing thoughts and feelings like watching clouds pass in the sky
  • Focusing on the five senses (What do I see? Hear? Feel?) to stay grounded in the present

2. Distress Tolerance: Managing Stress Without Meltdowns

Distress tolerance helps adolescents cope with difficult emotions in healthy ways instead of reacting impulsively (Linehan, 2015).

Helpful techniques include:

  • TIPP (Temperature, Intense Exercise, Paced Breathing, Progressive Muscle Relaxation) to quickly calm down
  • Radical Acceptance—accepting a difficult situation instead of fighting against it
  • Distraction strategies like listening to music, drawing, or playing a game to shift focus away from stress

Example: If a teen feels overwhelmed before a big test, distress tolerance skills help them calm their mind instead of panicking.

3. Emotion Regulation: Learning to Shift Emotional Responses

Emotion regulation helps adolescents understand their emotions, reduce emotional extremes, and make better choices (Gross, 2002).

Key techniques include:

  • Opposite Action—acting the opposite of an unhelpful emotion (e.g., feeling sad but choosing to do something fun instead of isolating)
  • Checking the Facts—asking “Is my emotion based on facts, or am I assuming the worst?”
  • Building Positive Experiences—engaging in enjoyable activities that create long-term emotional stability

Example: If a teen feels angry after receiving critical feedback on an assignment, emotion regulation helps them respond with problem-solving rather than shutting down or lashing out.

4. Interpersonal Effectiveness: Strengthening Friendships & Family Relationships

Many adolescents struggle with friendship conflicts, family disagreements, and social pressures. DBT teaches healthy communication and boundary-setting skills to improve relationships.

One key strategy is DEAR MAN, a structured way to ask for what you need while respecting others:

  • Describe the situation clearly
  • Express how you feel
  • Assert what you need
  • Reinforce why it matters
  • Mindfully listen
  • Appear confident
  • Negotiate if needed

Example: If a teen’s friend keeps interrupting them, instead of getting frustrated and arguing or withdrawing, they can say:
“Hey, I feel unheard when you interrupt me. Can we take turns talking?”

Final Thoughts: Developing Emotional Strength for Life

Emotional dysregulation can make adolescence feel overwhelming, but DBT provides skills to navigate emotions in a balanced and effective way. By using mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, teenagers can:

  • Manage emotions more effectively
  • Make better decisions under stress
  • Improve relationships with friends and family
  • Build emotional resilience for the future

DBT is not about getting rid of emotions—it’s about learning to experience them in a way that leads to growth, rather than distress. For adolescents struggling with emotional ups and downs, these skills provide the foundation for lifelong emotional well-being.

References

  • Casey, B. J., Heller, A. S., Gee, D. G., & Cohen, A. O. (2019). Development of the emotional brain. Neuroscience Letters, 693, 29-34.
  • Gross, J. J. (2002). Emotion regulation: Affective, cognitive, and social consequences. Psychophysiology, 39(3), 281-291.
  • Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. Bantam Dell.
  • Linehan, M. M. (1993). Cognitive-behavioural treatment of borderline personality disorder. Guilford Press.
  • Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT skills training manual (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.