How can you tell when teen irritability is ‘just a phase’ and when it is a sign that something more serious is going on?

In this episode of Mind the Kids, titled ‘Irritability in Teens More Than a Phase’ host Mark Tebbs talks with Dr Jamilah Silver, Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, whose work focuses on irritability, emotion regulation, and early emerging risk for psychopathology.

Together they explore why adolescence is a ‘perfect storm’ for irritability, how it shows up in daily life at home and at school, and when persistent anger, conflict, and moodiness start to impair sleep, friendships, and learning. Jamilah shares findings from a large multinational study of adolescents across nine countries, revealing how common chronic irritability is worldwide and how it links to bullying, depression, anxiety, and lower life satisfaction.

The conversation also unpacks gender differences, classroom red flags for teachers, and why clinicians are beginning to treat irritability as a transdiagnostic “front door” signal that deserves earlier screening and support. Whether you are a parent, educator, or clinician, this episode offers practical ways to spot when irritability has tipped from typical teen behaviour into something that may need specialist help.

For more details read the CAMH paper “A large multinational study of irritability in adolescents” Jamilah Silver, Ellen Leibenluft, Wan-Ling Tseng, Daniel N. Klein, Pablo Vidal-Ribas, Reut Naim, Praveetha Patalay, Eoin McElroy, Argyris Stringaris https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.70008 

 Get a free CPD/CME certificate for listening to this podcast when you register a FREE ACAMH Learn account at https://acamhlearn.org/Home