5 Major Signs that suggest you are suffering from Mental Illness

In the current days, mental disorders or illnesses have become very common. About one in every five people may be suffering from this condition. Mental health disorders or mental illness explicitly include a comprehensive range of conditions that contribute to a significant impact on mental health. These disorders tend to affect thinking, moods, and an individual’s behavior.

Some commonly occurring mental disorders are depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, addiction, and eating disorders (bulimia and anorexia).

Your average functioning ability can be significantly interfered with by many mental disorders. Not only that, but this is something which affects your quality of life.

In most cases, it is possible to manage mental disorders with psychotherapy and medications conservatively.

Mental disorders can occur at any age as an adult or as a child.

Alarming Signs Of Mental Illness

Some of the alarming signs of mental illness are the following:

1. Anxiety

Getting stressed due to some unexpected events is considered to be expected from time to time. But, if this type of situation occurs with you constantly and you cannot focus on your work, then the matter is grave.

It can be specifically due to anxiety. Some other issues associated with stress include headache, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, diarrhea, restlessness, etc.

If you are experiencing these anxiety symptoms, you may have a mental illness that needs to be addressed. Otherwise, it can lead to some severe consequences.

2. Depression

If you or someone is suffering from the symptoms of depression, then it becomes straightforward to determine that you have a mental illness.

If you are an individual who is experiencing constant sadness, lacks motivation and energy, and also stays irritated, then this is of grave concern.

All of these are symptoms of depression that need to be quickly addressed. The issue is even more severe if you have started to lose interest in a specific hobby or anything that made you happy earlier.

3. Fluctuations In Weight

Although weight loss is considered to have several significant health benefits, this can also be a matter of concern. Constant weight loss or fluctuating weight are generally regarded as warning signs of depression.

Again, your eating pattern is significantly affected if you are suffering from any of the mental issues. This is something which causes loss or fluctuations of weight.

4.  Severe Mood Swings

There are many reasons behind mood swings. But, if the mood swing occurs suddenly, then this can be a matter of concern. Getting extremely angry in a short time can be a sign of mood swings. So, this is considered to be a significant sign of mental illness.

If any of your close ones are showing such an issue, then it is better to consult with a doctor who will help to find out whether it is a mental illness or not.

5.  Insufficient Sleep

According to doctors, 7 to 9 hours of sleep is ideal for a healthy body and mind. But, before coming to any conclusion, you must consider the reasons behind staying awake till late at night.

If you find that the reasons are not natural, this could be due to any mental disorder you may be suffering.

However, if you are worried for some reason, this is hampering your sleep pattern. Insomnia is a ubiquitous sign of substance abuse or anxiety. Another thing that you should keep in your mind is that oversleeping is also a sign of depression.

How To Suspect If Someone has Mental Illness?

Depending on the mental disorder and the severity of the condition, the symptoms and signs of mental illness can vary. Below are mentioned a few others which you should also know about, such as:

· Easy irritability

· Severe mood changes

· Unnecessary guilt feelings

· Excessive fears

· Loss of concentration power

· Feeling unhappy

· Feeling lethargic and tired

· Disorganized speech (talking meaningless sentences randomly which do not make sense)

· Inability to study or work

· Inability to maintain relationships

· Withdrawal from activities and friends

· The tendency to violently react

·  Paranoia

· Delusions (false beliefs in which the person does not believes anything despite providing proof

· Detachment from the real world

· Sleeping for a long duration or difficulty in sleeping which is known to be insomnia

· Decreased sex drive

· Excessive eating or loss of appetite

· Drug abuse

· Consuming excessive alcohol

· Stress

· Inability to deal with everyday problems

· Hallucinations (which involves unreal sensations like seeing unrealistic things, hearing voices, having strange odors which are not real, feeling sensations on the skin, etc.

· Thinking to do suicide 

Risk Factors

Specific factors may increase your risk of mental illness, such as:

· Past mental illness history

· History of mental illness in the family

· Trauma to the brain

· Unpleasant experience in childhood, mainly because of abuse, neglect, or bullying

· Drug abuse or alcoholism

· Intense physical or psychological stress precisely due to stressful life situations like a divorce, death of a loved one, loss of a job, or financial problems

· Chronic medical problems involve certain diseases that are linked to chronic pain. It also involves some other diseases that affect the quality of life of an individual, like fibromyalgia, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.

Causes Of Mental Illness

Although it is impossible to predict the particular cause of mental illnesses, some of their causes are identified. It can occur due to numerous environmental and genetic factors like:

· Altered chemistry in the brain

· Environment exposures specifically before birth

· Genetic

Preventive Measures

· Opting for routine counseling services

· Giving attention to any of the changes

· Taking care of yourself, i.e., overall health and mental well-being

Concluding Thoughts

I hope now you have correctly understood the different warning signs of mental illness. If you are experiencing any of the issues mentioned above, it is better to go to a therapist who will help provide you the needed assistance.