The Line Between Balance and Overload: What We Overlook in Teenage Mental Health

Understanding Cyclothymia, Anxiety, and Depersonalisation in a world that rarely slows down.

By Sophia Nguyen

Mental health is often reduced to a few familiar words: depression, anxiety, and burnout. But the mind is not that simple. It bends, adapts, hides, and often misfires in ways that do not always make sense to those outside of it. Teenagers today are more open about mental health than ever, but some disorders remain unspoken about. Between grades, friendships, and the pressure to “keep it together”, it becomes difficult to tell when stress crosses the line into something deeper.

Cyclothymic Disorder, High-Functioning Anxiety, and Depersonalization Disorder each reflect the mind’s attempt to create stability when emotions, identity, or reality itself begin to shift. They are not about weakness or tragedy, but rather how complicated it is to be human—especially when you are still figuring out what that means. 

It is important to understand these disorders because awareness changes how we interpret struggle. It replaces judgment with curiosity, and reminds us that not all forms of coping look like the ones we have been taught to recognise.

Cyclothymic Disorder

Cyclothymic Disorder is often described as a milder, chronic form of bipolar disorder. It involves recurring periods of energetic and depressive symptoms that do not ever reach the full criteria for bipolar I or II (“Cyclothymic Disorder - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf”). Studies estimate its lifetime prevalence at roughly 0.4% to 1% of the population, though it is likely underdiagnosed among teenagers, where mood fluctuation is easily mistaken for typical adolescence. 

What makes Cyclothymia significant is not only its instability, but its subtlety. The highs often appear as bursts of confidence or productivity, while the lows may look like fatigue, irritability, or disinterest. Because neither extreme seems severe enough to raise concern, the pattern goes unnoticed until it begins to interfere with focus, relationships, or identity. In many ways, it reflects the teenage mind’s ongoing effort to self-regulate; to seek equilibrium within constant change.

High-Functioning Anxiety

While Cyclothymia reflects mood changes, High-Functioning Anxiety captures changes in control. Although it is not officially recognised in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, it describes a well-documented psychological pattern: individuals who experience anxiety but remain outwardly composed (Hubbard). The paradox lies in regulation. Studies indicate that some individuals learn to channel an increased heart rate, muscle tension, and distress into focused activity. This gives the appearance of control, but the mechanism is rooted in avoidance. By staying busy, the mind bypasses the possibility of stillness, where worry may become inescapable.

In teenagers, this pattern often goes unnoticed because it aligns with social expectations. Educational environments tend to reward overcommitment and resilience, inadvertently reinforcing the anxious behaviours that sustain them. The danger of High-Functioning Anxiety is not collapse, but depletion. It rarely draws attention until physical symptoms emerge. This may include headaches, sleep disturbance, or fatigue. Recognising it early requires the understanding that composure and control can sometimes signal not strength, but strain.

Depersonalisation Disorder

Unlike anxiety, Depersonalisation Disorder steps out of the mind. It is characterised by constant or recurrent experiences of feeling detached from one’s thoughts, body, or surroundings, while still recognising reality (Washington). In adolescents specifically, a representative survey found that 11.9% of 12-18-year-olds reported clinically relevant depersonalisation symptoms (National Library of Medicine). This may have included: memory loss, feeling as though thoughts are not their own, lack of awareness, or feeling like they were watching themselves from the outside. 

What makes Depersonalisation Disorder significant is how it reflects a mind attempting to regulate overload by stepping outside its own experience. When the internal and external environment becomes too intense or confusing, dissociation becomes a refuge, a withdrawal from the self rather than collapse. Because the symptoms do not always look like “classic mental illness”, it often goes unrecognised. It is not about being emotionally dramatic, but about being emotionally absent. Recognising it matters because, although it may look like detachment, it’s fundamentally a form of coping.

Conclusion

These disorders reveal that mental health is rarely straightforward. They often emerge from a complex interplay between biology, environment, and experience. Some, like Cyclothymic Disorder, have strong genetic foundations. Others, such as Depersonalisation Disorder, are more frequently linked to trauma or stress. High-Functioning Anxiety often exists somewhere in between: not entirely inherent or acquired, but shaped by personality traits and upbringing. Understanding this diversity matters as it reminds us that no two minds respond to the same world in the same way. What looks like emotional distance, overachievement, or inconsistency may be the nervous system doing its best to maintain balance.

However, awareness should not lead to self-diagnosis. Mental health is nuanced, and while reading about these conditions can be enlightening, only a trained professional can distinguish between temporary stress responses and clinical patterns. If you recognise yourself in any of these descriptions, it is worth reaching out to a school counsellor or any trusted adult.

Research has consistently shown that there are many different ways to help manage anxiety and dissociation. Mindfulness meditation can ground your mind in the present, without steering to worries about the past or future. Yoga has been proven to reduce cortisol levels, often referred to as the “stress hormone”, and journaling can help process challenges and track mood changes. These are not cures, but gentle ways of restoring connection between the body and mind.

Ultimately, the point of awareness is not to collect labels, but to learn, understand, and listen. When the mind retreats or overcompensates, it is not broken. Sometimes, feeling “off” is simply the body’s way of saying: something here needs care.

Works Cited

Cortisol and antidepressant effects of yoga - PMC, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3768222/.  Accessed 9 November 2025.

Corliss, Julie. “Six relaxation techniques to reduce stress.” Harvard Health, https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/six-relaxation-techniques-to-reduce-stress.  Accessed 9 November 2025.

“Cyclothymic Disorder - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf.” NCBI, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557877/.  Accessed 8 November 2025.

“High-Functioning Anxiety: Signs in Children & How to Help.” Handspring Health, https://www.handspringhealth.com/post/high-functioning-anxiety.  Accessed 8 November 2025.

Hubbard, Linda. “Behind the mask: Managing high-functioning anxiety.” Mayo Clinic Health System, 11 July 2023, https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/managing-high-functioning-anxiety.  Accessed 8 November 2025.

Mayo Clinic. “Cyclothymia (cyclothymic disorder).” Cyclothymia (cyclothymic disorder), https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cyclothymia/symptoms-causes/syc-20371275. 

National Library of Medicine. “Prevalence and correlates of depersonalization in students aged 12-18 years in Germany.” Prevalence and correlates of depersonalization in students aged 12-18 years in Germany.

Washington, Nicole. “Derealization in Teenagers: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment.” Healthline, 9 March 2023, https://www.healthline.com/health/derealization-in-teenager.  Accessed 9 November 2025.