Trying to tell the difference between expected behaviors and what might be the signs of more serious emotional health concerns isn't always easy. No simple test can let someone know if there is a 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 set of symptoms, but some 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
Changes in sex drive
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”)
Abuse 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 (mostly in adolescents)
Mental health conditions can also begin to develop in young children. Their most obvious symptoms are behavioral because they’re still learning how to identify and talk about thoughts and emotions. Symptoms in children may include:
Changes in school performance
Excessive worry or anxiety, for instance, fighting to avoid bed or school
Hyperactive behavior
Frequent nightmares
Frequent disobedience or aggression
Frequent temper tantrums
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (or 1-800-273-8255).