Introduction
The signs and symptoms of a mental health disorder vary depending on the severity of the illness and the type of mental disorder. There are various warning signs that you should look out for and get medical attention. A mental health disorder manifests itself differently depending on age groups. Outlined below are some of the signs and symptoms of mental illness among different groups of people:
History
Teens
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• A significant drop in performance and scoring very low grades
• Inability to keep up with daily activities and routine
• Drastic change is sleeping patterns
• Change in eating habits, they can over eating or feed very poorly.
• Excessive complaints about physical problems.
• Being unruly and having bad attitude
• Vandalism, skipping school and being defiant
• Insecurity about their weight
• Negativity and lack of motivation in life
• Poor appetite
• Thoughts of death
• Throwing tantrums and frequent outburst
Most of these habits are very common among teenagers and do not necessarily mean that they have a mental health disorder, however, if they persist, you should seek advice from a professional.
Adults
• Feeling of confusion and being absent minded as if in a daze
• Highly irritable or experiencing long periods of sadness
• Being very hyper or having extremely low moods
• Excessive anxiety coupled by fear and worry
• Withdrawing socially from friends or family
• Changes in sleeping habits either oversleeping or being insomniac
• Uncontrolled anger, where you may break things
• Hallucinations and delusions
• Being in denial of the obvious
• Suicide thoughts
• Loss of concentration and overly obsessing on particular things
• Drug abuse and excessive alcohol intake.
• Socially withdrawn
• Physically aggressive
• Fear of people and shyness
Features
In young children
• Inactive and not excited
• Drop in school performance
• Retreating to a corner and being shy
• Hyperactivity
• Excessive worry
• Fear of darkness
• Recurring nightmares
• Aggressive behavior
• Constantly agitated
• Temper tantrums
• Mood swings
There are also anxiety symptoms that are common among all age groups, they include:
• Being over alert and overreacting over minor things
• Being anxious and worried about routine and daily events
• Being afraid of doing normal activities such as taking the bus or train
• Fear of being in crowded places
• Imagining and hearing things that are not there
• Performing odd and ritualistic behaviors
• Intrusive memories and night mares which keep recurring.
Tips and comments
Signs of a mental health disorder are very similar to stress and depression symptoms and are often ignored or brushed off. If you notice any of the above symptoms, it is important to visit a doctor and explain to them how you feel. Therapy is also essential in such situation since it can help prevent the conditioning from getting worse. Sadly most mental health disorder symptoms go unattended until it is too late when nothing much can be done. It is thus important to handle this warning signs with urgency and seeking medical attention.
