Signs and Symptoms of Mental Health Crisis

A mental health disorder cannot be self-diagnosed and will require a licensed physician. The following are signs and symptoms and do not necessarily mean you are affected with a specific illness if you experience some of the symptoms. Please see a mental health specialist or physician if you think you may have one of the following disorders.

1. Feeling restless, wound up, or on edge

2. Easily fatigued

3. Have difficulty concentrating

4. Being irritable

5. Having constant muscle tension

6. Difficulty controlling feelings of worry

7. Having trouble falling or staying asleep

1. Persistent sadness, anxiety, or "empty" feeling

2. Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism

3. Irritability

4. Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness

5. Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities

6. Decreased energy or fatigue

7. Moving or talking slower than normal

8. Feeling restlessness

9. Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions

10. Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping

11. Appetite and/or weight changes

12. Thoughts of death or suicide or suicide attempts

13. Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems without a clear physical cause

Sensory Overload is a common result of trauma and can cause the following symptoms

1. Difficulty focusing due to competing sensory input

2. Extreme irritability

3. Restlessness and discomfort

4. Urge to cover your ears or shield your eyes from sensory input

5. Feeling overly excited or "wound up"

6. Stress, fear, or anxiety about your surroundings

7. Higher levels than usual of sensitivity to textures, fabrics, clothing tags, or other things that rub against skin

CLUSTER A PERSONALITY DISORDERS

Paranoid Personality Disorder

1. Pervasive distrust and suspicion of others and their motives

2. Unjustified belief that others are trying to harm or deceive you

3. Unjustified suspicion of the loyalty of others

4. Hesitancy to confide in others due to unreasonable fear that others will use the information against you

5. Perception of innocent remarks or non-threatening situations as personal insults or attacks

6. Angry or hostile reaction to perceived slights or insults

7. Tendency to hold grudges

8. Unjustified, recurrent suspicion that spouse or sexual partner is unfaithful

Schizoid Personality Disorder

1. Lack of interest in social or personal relationships, preferring to be alone

2. Limited range of emotional expression

3. Inability to take pleasure in most activities

4. Inability to pick up normal social cues

5. Appearance of being cold or indifferent to others

6. Little or no interest in having sex with another person

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

1. Peculiar dress, thinking, beliefs, speech, or behavior

2. Odd perceptual experiences, such as hearing a voice whispering your name

3. Flat emotions or inappropriate emotional responses

4. Social anxiety and a lack of discomfort with close relationships

5. Indifferent, inappropriate, or suspicious responses to others

6. "Magical thinking" such as believing you can influence people and events with your thoughts

7. Belief that certain casual incidents or events have hidden messages meant only for you

CLUSTER B PERSONALITY DISORDERS

Antisocial Personality Disorder

1. Disregard for others' needs or feelings

2. Persistent lying, stealing, using aliases, conning of others

3. Recurring problems with the law

4. Repeated violation of the rights of others

5. Aggressive, often violent behavior

6. Disregard for the safety of self or others

7. Impulsive behavior

8. Consistently irresponsible

9. Lack of remorse for behavior

Borderline Personality Disorder

1. Impulsive and risky behavior, such as having unsafe sex, gambling, or binge eating

2. Unstable or fragile self-image

3. Unstable and intense relationships

4. Up and down moods, often as a reaction to interpersonal stress

5. Suicidal behavior or threats of self-injury

6. Intense fear of being alone or abandoned

7. Ongoing feelings of emptiness

8. Frequent, intense displays of anger

9. Stress-related paranoia that comes and goes

Histrionic Personality Disorder

1. Constantly seeking attention

2. Excessively emotional, dramatic or sexually provocative to gain attention

3. Speaks dramatically with strong opinions, but few facts or details to back them up

4. Easily influenced by others

5. Shallow, rapidly changing emotions

6. Excessive concern with physical appearance

7. Thinks relationships with others are closer than they really are

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

1. Belief that you're special and more important than others

2. Fantasies about power, success, and attractiveness

3. Failure to recognize others' needs and feelings

4. Exaggeration of achievements or talents

5. Expectation of constant praise and admiration

6. Arrogance

7. Unreasonable expectations of favors and advantages

8. Envy of others or belief that others envy you

CLUSTER C PERSONALITY DISORDERS

Avoidant Personality Disorder

1. Too sensitive to criticism or rejection

2. Feeling inadequate, inferior, or unattractive

3. Avoidance of work activities that require interpersonal contact

4. Socially inhibited, timid and isolated, avoiding new activities or meeting strangers

5. Extreme shyness in social situations and personal relationships

6. Fear of disapproval, embarrassment, or ridicule

Dependent Personality Disorder

1. Excessive dependence on others and feeling the need to be taken care of

2. Submissive or clingy behavior toward others

3. Fear of having to provide self-care or fend for yourself if left alone

4. Difficulty starting or doing projects on your own

5. Difficulty disagreeing with others, fearing disapproval

6. Tolerance of poor or abusive treatment, even when other options are available

7. Urgent need to start a new relationship when a close one has ended

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

-Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder is not the same as obsessive compulsive disorder which is an anxiety disorder

1. Preoccupation with details, orderliness, and rules

2. Extreme perfection, resulting in dysfunction and distress when perfection is not achieved

3. Desire to be in control of people, tasks and situations, and an inability to delegate tasks

4. Neglect of friends and enjoyable activities because of excessive commitment to work or a project

5. Inability to discard broken or worthless objects

6. Rigid and stubborn

7. Inflexible about morality, ethics, or values

8. Tight, miserly control over budgeting and spending money

• Substance Use disorders are diseases that affect a person's brain and behavior which leads to the inability to control the use of legal or illegal drugs and/or medications. Symptoms include the following:

  1. Feeling that you have to use the drug regularly (daily or several times a day)

  2. Having intense urges for the drug that blocks out any other thoughts

  3. Over time, needing more of the drug

  4. Taking larger amounts of the drug over a longer period of time than you intended

  5. Making sure that you maintain a supply of the drug

  6. Spending money on the drug, even if you cannot afford it

  7. Not meeting obligations and work responsibilities, or cutting back on social activities because of drug use

  8. Continuing to use the drug, even though you know it is causing problems in your life or causing you physical and/or physiological harm

  9. Doing things to get the drug that you normally wouldn't do

  10. Driving or doing other risky activities when you are under the influence of the drug

  11. Spending a good deal of time getting the drug, using the drug, or recovering from the effects of the drug

  12. Failing in your attempts to stop using the drug

  13. Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you attempt to stop taking the drug

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

1. Angry and irritable, often losing temper, easily annoyed, often angry and resentful

2. Argumentative and defiant behavior, often argues with authority figures, refuses to comply with requests or rules, deliberately annoys others, blames others for mistakes or misbehavior

3. Vindictiveness, spiteful or vindictive

Conduct Disorder

• A more serious version of ODD which involves ongoing behavior that breaks social rules. It may involve the following:

1. Acting aggressively towards people and animals

2. Destroying other people's property on purpose

3. Lying, stealing, or violating important rules

Intermittent Explosive Disorder

1. Frequent impulsive, aggressive, and angry outbursts. Outbursts:

• Are out of proportion to the event or incident that triggered them

• Are impulsive

• Cause much distress for the person

• Cause problems at work or home

Pyromania

1. An uncontrollable urge to set fires

2. Fascination and attraction to fires and its paraphernalia

3. Pleasure, a rush, or relief when setting or seeing fires

4. Tension or excitement around fire-starting

Kleptomania

1. Inability to resist powerful urges to steal items that you don't need

2. Feeling increased tension, anxiety, or arousal leading up to the theft

3. Feeling pleasure, relief, or gratification while stealing

4. Feeling terrible guilt, remorse, self-loathing, shame, or fear of arrest after the theft

5. Return of the urges and a repetition of the kleptomania cycle

1. Pain in the chest, arms, legs, joints, back, abdomen, etc.

2. Headaches, movement disorders, weakness, dizziness, fainting

3. Digestive problems such as abdominal pain or bowel problems, diarrhea, incontinence, and constipation

4. Pain during sexual activity

5. Painful periods

• The most common reason for neurocognitive disorders to develop is due to a neurodegenerative disease such as: Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, dementia, prion disease, multiple sclerosis

1. Memory loss

2. Confusion

3. Anxiety

4. Headaches

5. Inability to concentrate or focus

6. Short-term memory loss

7. Trouble performing routine tasks, such as driving

8. Difficulty walking or balancing

9. Changes in vision

1. Fear of contamination or dirt

2. Doubting and having difficulty tolerating uncertainty

3. Needing things orderly and symmetrical

4. Aggressive or horrific thoughts about losing control and harming yourself or others

5. Unwanted thoughts, including aggression, or sexual, or religious subjects

6. Washing and cleaning constantly

7. Checking or counting constantly

8. Orderliness

9. Following a strict routine

10. Demanding reassurance

1. Being disorganized

2. Lack focus

3. Have a hard time paying attention to details and a tendency to make careless mistake

4. Have trouble staying on topic while talking, not listening to others, and not following social rules

5. Be forgetful about daily activities

6. Be easily distracted by things like trivial noises or events that are usually ignored by others

7. Have a hard time getting along with others because they can't read people's feelings and moods

8. Daydream a lot

9. Be too wrapped up in their own thoughts to hear you

10. Fidget and squirm when seated

11. Get up frequently to walk or run around

12. Run or climb a lot when it is not appropriate

13. Have trouble playing quietly or doing quiet hobbies

14. Always "on the go"

15. Talk excessively

16. Impatience

17. Have a hard time waiting to talk or react