When you’ve lived with mental illness for a significant amount of time, you become more aware of the physical and mental symptoms that accompany the disorder. This makes it easier to identify when you need to reach out to your therapist on With Therapy and when you need to begin applying coping mechanisms to help yourself at home. For individuals who have not yet been diagnosed or who are unsure about their mental status, however, identifying the signs is not always an easy task. Some symptoms of mental illness can be passed off as symptoms of an unhealthy lifestyle while others may go undetected. If you are concerned about potential mental health issues, here are some of the most common symptoms that will help you to identify potential mental health disorders.
What Are the Warning Signs of Mental Illness?
While there are many different mental health issues that you may be dealing with (which will ultimately be diagnosed once you schedule an appointment with a therapist), there are common warning signs that can help you better understand whether or not you may be affected by one. The common symptoms of a developing mental illness include:
- Feelings of extreme hopelessness, despair, and recurrent sadness
- Difficulty concentrating, even on simple tasks
- Extreme mood changes that alternate between periods of sadness and euphoria
- Increased feelings of irritability or anger
- Experiencing low energy and increased sleep (or having more difficulty sleeping)
- Extreme changes in eating habits such as eating very little or eating more than usual, often accompanied by changes in weight
- Changes in the perception of oneself or the world around them
- Abuse of alcohol or drugs
- Physical pain that does not have an explainable cause or medical reason
- Increasing difficulty dealing with stress and daily life
- Feeling worried or fearful
- Isolating and decreasing social interaction
- Suicidal ideation
The symptoms listed here may or may not fit your situation, but anyone of them (especially if you are experiencing multiple symptoms at a time) can be indicative of a mental health disorder. If you are dealing with the above, you should reach out to a professional as soon as possible so you can receive a diagnosis and create a treatment plan.
On that note, it is important you do your best to incorporate more self-care into your schedule. While no home remedy can replace therapy and medication, making simple changes in your diet, physical fitness, and socialization can lessen the impact of your own illness. If there are any health problems that could be causing symptoms such as the ones above to manifest, make sure to get these treated as well as physical issues can sometimes cause the development of mental disorders.
What Are Some Common Mental Illnesses I Might Experience?
All mental illnesses are serious but the symptoms listed above point to some of the more common mental issues that many people encounter when they begin to notice these problems. Some of the more common mental illnesses that you are likely to find yourself faced with include depression, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, and phobias. The good news? Many of these are easily treated with the right help!
Getting help can be difficult but it is essential to your mental health and well-being. If you’ve noticed behavior that may point to a disorder, use With Therapy to connect with a counselor that suits your needs and can guide you through diagnosis, treatment, and life improvement over time!