Why teen breakups are so hard

 Teen love is more moving for young people as it is a deeper relationship than any other they have experienced, which is why it becomes very hard to deal with it, a new study have revealed.

The research from a joint American-Australian study found that teen love felt life-changing as the combination of a developing brain, surging hormones and a lack of identity led to adolescents “merging” so that they feel not quite whole when apart, the Age reported.

Psychologist Dr Carl Pickhardt from the American and Texas psychological associations, who led the study, said that “teen love” was usually infatuation - different to the feeling of love experienced by adults.

University of Canberra clinical psychologist Dr Vivienne Lewis, who specialises in treating teens, said it was not uncommon for adolescents to be referred to her practice with severe depression after a relationship of one month ended.

Lewis said infatuation, which was what most teenagers experienced in a relationship, was a more consuming emotion than love.

She asserted that adults were better able to cope with breakups because they were more careful.

She also said that teens were overwhelmed by the endorphins and hormones involved and as they are not used to the experience they can be completely crushed when it breaks down. Adults have usually been through a few relationships so they are more careful.

Lewis said it was important for parents to try to understand what their children were feeling

She also admitted that children who had goals outside of their first relationships were more likely to recover from a painful high school breakup without developing depression.