•20 Warning Signs You Need To Know
Symptoms of mental health conditions
vary. Mood swings and feeling angry or sad are warning signs that you may be
struggling with a mood disorder. Or you may notice behavior changes—like social
isolation or self-destructive behaviors—in loved ones with a mental health
condition.
EXTREME MOOD SWINGS
Mood swings involve rapid and intense
changes in how you feel. You may rapidly cycle between feelings of elation,
anger, irritability, sadness, or indifference. In children or others, you may
notice changes in energy level, rapid speech, and more impulsive behavior. Mood swings may occur in a wide range of mood
disorders and mental health conditions. It’s a symptom in 40% to 60% of bipolar
disorder, depression, anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
OUTBURSTS OR TEMPER TANTRUMS
Temper tantrums are emotional
outbursts of yelling, crying, physically lashing out, and aggression toward
others. Young children may hold their breath, scream, cry, kick, bite, hit, or
collapse onto the ground. These are
common symptoms of disruptive, impulse control, and conduct disorders, which
all impact emotional regulation. Bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, and
depression can also lead to outbursts.
EXCESSIVE ANXIETY OR ANGER
Excessive anxiety or anger that
disrupts daily life can be a sign of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is a feeling of intense fear, worry,
guilt, and agitation, something that often arises alongside periods of uncontrolled
anger. Children may express anxiety by becoming distant, withdrawn, agitated,
upset, or avoiding social contact.
OVERWHELMING SADNESS
All-consuming, uncontrollable sadness
is a hallmark of depression. You may feel emptiness, hopelessness, and
pessimism, a feeling that everything is going wrong. Severe cases can lead to
suicidal ideation (suicidal thoughts).
Signs of depression in children include irritability, loss of interest
in activities they usually enjoy, and social isolation.
CONFUSED THINKING
Some mental health conditions can
cause you to feel disoriented or hazy, have difficulty concentrating or
remembering, or be unable to separate fiction from reality. Confusion can occur
alongside depression and anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders like
schizophrenia, and dementia (declining cognitive impairment, affecting
thinking, memory, and aspects of daily life).
In others, look for sudden, irregular changes in the subject when
speaking, as well as strange, unpredictable behaviors.
CHANGES IN PERFORMANCE
Changes in how well you get tasks done
or noticeable declines in work or school performance can be signs of a mental
health condition. A drop in a child’s grades, loss of interest in
extracurricular activities, and lack of enthusiasm about school are, too. Many mental health conditions, such as
depression and anxiety, can affect your energy and interest levels and your
attention, focus, or ability to retain information.
HYPERACTIVITY
Restlessness and problems
concentrating are hyperactive behaviors, often related to attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), manic episodes of bipolar disorder, and anxiety,
among others.
In children, signs of hyperactivity
include: Fidgeting, squirming, or constantly moving while seated, Interrupting
others, impatience, Running around or playing at inappropriate times, Standing
up at inappropriate times, Talking a lot and not being able to do quiet
activities.
APPETITE CHANGES
You may find it difficult to eat and
will consume very little food. Or, you may compulsively eat, even when you’re
not hungry, and feel out of control. Both instances are examples of eating
disorders. Depression and depressive
episodes of bipolar disorder can cause bingeing or compulsive eating in some
and appetite loss in others.
SLEEP CHANGES
Sleep is crucial for mental health.
Sleep problems contribute to mental health conditions, and vice versa.
Difficulty falling or staying asleep (insomnia) and sleeping more than usual
(hypersomnia) arise with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and
PTSD, among others.
LACK OF ENERGY
Mental health conditions impact energy
levels, resulting in fatigue, disinterest, and the feeling of being slow. You may lose interest in previously enjoyed
activities and lack motivation to complete essential tasks. It may be more
challenging for children to complete schoolwork or chores, and they give up
quickly once started.
DECREASED SEX DRIVE
Women facing mental health challenges
become less interested in sex, won’t respond to sexual stimulation, and feel
little to no pleasure during intercourse. Males may feel less interested in
sex, have fewer sexual thoughts, have erectile dysfunction (ED), and have an
inability to maintain an erection.
INABILITY TO MANAGE STRESS
An inability to cope with stress or
stressful situations is also a symptom of a psychiatric disorder. It’s
especially common with anxiety disorder, PTSD, and adjustment disorder (a
severe stress reaction to a traumatic life event). Stressful feelings—worry, tension, and
anxiety—become intense and don’t go away. They impact relationships, school or
work, and daily life.
INCREASED PHYSICAL SENSITIVITY
Increased sensitivity to touch, sound,
sight, feel, and pain is a common sign of PTSD, sensory processing disorders,
OCD, and neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism and attention-deficit/
hyperactivity disorder). Overstimulation causes severe discomfort, so people
with certain mental health conditions avoid crowded, loud, or overstimulating
environments. In young children,
increased physical sensitivity causes crankiness, tantrums, crying, and defiant
behaviors.
WITHDRAWAL AND SOCIAL ISOLATION
Depression and mood disorders cause a
sudden withdrawal from others, along with a complete or nearly complete lack of
social contact (social isolation). It may present as a loss of interest in
activities you’d previously enjoyed and a lack of desire to go to work or
school, see friends or family, or be around people in general. Fearful and avoidant social behaviors are a
key sign of anxiety disorders, especially social anxiety and generalized
anxiety disorder.
FEELING HELPLESS OR HOPELESS
Feeling hopeless or helpless are signs
of depression, depressive phases of bipolar disorder, and other
conditions. You may feel like everything
is going wrong and spinning out of control lack hope that things will improve
in the future. Sadness, bitterness, or irritation often accompany these
feelings. In children, this can lead to
tantrums, social isolation, and loss of interest in play.
APATHY AND FEELING DISCONNECTED
Associated with depression, bipolar
disorder, and anxiety disorders is a feeling of apathy and a lack of connection
to others and surroundings. Typical signs include a lack of motivation and
indifference to favored activities, friends, or family. Children with this
condition lose interest in their favorite toys, games, friends, or other
interests.
DRUG OR ALCOHOL USE
Excess recreational drug use or
drinking are central signs of alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder.
People with depression, anxiety disorder, or PTSD may turn to alcohol or
substances in an effort to self-regulate. However, these behaviors worsen
mental health conditions. Certain behaviors,
such as social avoidance, erratic behavior, and failure to meet obligations,
are telltale signs of alcohol and substance use in others.
HIGH-RISK BEHAVIOR
Depression, manic stages, bipolar
disorder, and certain anxiety disorders increase impulsive, self-destructive
behaviors. These behaviors include having condomless sex with strangers,
driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and impulsively eating or
spending money, among others. Children
or adolescents may break the rules, get in trouble, or push boundaries more
than in the past.
DELUSIONS OR HALLUCINATIONS
Mental health conditions also cause
delusions, false beliefs, and hallucinations. Causing rapid shifts in mental
state, these are the primary symptoms of the serious mental disorder
schizophrenia and can be signs of dementia, severe depression, PTSD, and
others. You see strange things, hear
voices, or lose awareness of your surroundings.
Parents or caregivers may witness erratic or dangerous behaviors in
children experiencing delusions or hallucinations (sensing something that does
not exist).
ILLOGICAL THINKING
Distorted, unsound thinking can arise
with borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, and manic episodes of
bipolar disorder, among other mental health conditions. You may have irrational
beliefs about your influence or power, difficulty comprehending the meaning of
events, or cannot separate fact from fiction.
Children may quickly shift from topic to topic when talking, or they
will contradict themselves.
WHEN TO CONTACT A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER
Call a healthcare provider if you,
your child, or a loved one experiences any of the following:
A drop in energy levels, school or work
performance, and interests.
Medications or therapies have stopped
working.
Symptoms lasting four or more weeks.
Symptoms that severely disrupt their
life, work, school, or relationships.
Suspected symptoms with a family
history of mental health conditions.
Unexplained changes in behavior.
verywellhealth.com
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