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Trying to tell the difference between what expected behaviors are and what might be the signs of a mental illness isn't always easy. There's no easy test that can let someone know if there is mental illness or if actions and thoughts might be typical behaviors of a person or the result of a physical illness. Each illness has its own symptoms, but common signs of mental illness in adults and adolescents can include the following:
Excessive worrying or fear
Feeling excessively sad or low
Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria
Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
Avoiding friends and social activities
Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite
Difficulty perceiving reality (delusions or hallucinations, in which a person experiences and senses things that don't exist in objective reality)
Inability to perceive changes in one’s own feelings, behavior or personality (”lack of insight” or anosognosia)
Overuse of substances like alcohol or drugs
Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes (such as headaches, stomach aches, vague and ongoing “aches and pains”)
Thinking about suicide
Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress
An intense fear of weight gain or concern with appearance
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Positive Coping Strategies for Mental Health
Positive Coping Strategies for Mental Health
Negative Coping Strategies to Avoid
Negative Coping Strategies to Avoid
Substance Abuse - The use of illegal drugs or the use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs or alcohol for purposes other than those for which they are meant to be used, or in excessive amounts. Substance abuse may lead to social, physical, emotional, and job-related problems.
Self-Medicating - The selection and use of medicines or other substances by individuals (or a member of the individuals' family) to treat self-recognized or self-diagnosed conditions or symptoms.
Violence - Behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.
Abuse - When someone causes us harm or distress. It can take many forms, ranging from disrespect to causing someone physical or mental pain. It can occur in someone's home, a care home, hospital or a public place. Often the people who commit abuse are taking advantage of a special relationship.
Self-Harm - Deliberate injury to oneself, typically as a manifestation of a mental condition.
Compulsivity - Repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession. The behaviors typically prevent or reduce a person's distress related to an obsession temporarily, and they are then more likely to do the same in the future.
Dissociation - A mental process where a person disconnects from their thoughts, feelings, memories or sense of identity. Dissociative disorders include dissociative amnesia, depersonalization disorder and dissociative identity disorder.
Catastrophizing - Believing that you're in a worse situation than you really are or exaggerating your difficulties. It can be a symptom of anxiety or depression. For example, someone might worry that they'll fail an exam.
Isolating - The act of making a person or yourself feel or be alone or apart from others.
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