What Are The 5 Signs of Mental Illness?

Mental illness is a broad range of disordered mental health conditions affecting the mood, thought process, and behavior. Examples of mental illness or mental health disorders are anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating, and addictive disorders. Many people experience concerns related to mental health from time to time; however, the phase is transient. Mental health becomes a mental illness condition when the signs and symptoms are frequent and affect the mental ability to function. These symptoms can be managed by sharing your concerns with the best neuropsychiatrist in Gurgaon along with medications as a combination therapy.

There are early signs of mental illness that can be easily missed considering a bad day or a phase of sad feeling. Such symptoms are feeling sad, confused thinking, extreme mood changes, significant tiredness, withdrawal from friends and social activities, increased sensitivity, feeling apathy (loss of initiative or desire to participate), alcohol and drug abuse, decreased sex drive, delusions, and hallucinations, illogical or magical thinking, trouble understanding and decision making, excessive anger, hostile behavior, and suicidal thoughts. One or two of these signs cannot predict mental illness alone and might be indicating further evaluation. Early detection of these signs is a key to connect the person with the doctor for a long time easier recovery.

Read Also : The Most Common Types of Mental Disorders

The 5 main warning signs of mental illness that is most commonly overlooked areas are listed below:

 

1. Constant fatigue

Mental illness can be exhaustive with constant paranoia. Individuals try their best to keep up with school, work, or social activities. Such people are likely to be experiencing obsessive thoughts deep in their minds followed by compulsive actions, consuming a lot of energy. They pretend to act normal in social locations to avoid any sort of judgment, stigma, or shame.

 

2. Sleep and Appetite cycle leading to Physical pain

The dramatic change in sleep and appetite pattern leads to a decline in personal care which makes them sick bearing physical pain. Science has shown that people with certain mental health disorders may have increased sensitivity to pain.

 

3. Severe mood swings and irritability

Mood swings can be transient and short phased depending on the specific current scenario; however, sudden and dramatic changes such as getting extremely angry or constant distress or irritability (signs of frustration) might be a serious concern instead of normal mood swings.

 

4. Lack of emotion and social avoidance 

The most common sign of a mental illness is depression or anxiety or getting upset. But there is a need to observe the exact opposite sign in certain individuals as well which is feeling blank or disregard for yourself. Individuals experiencing a lack of emotion avoid any type of social gathering and are unable to express their feelings, a condition also known as Alexithymia. The feeling of significant loss also leads to emotional detachment.

 

5. Problems thinking and drop in functionin

Dealing with problems with concentration, focus, memory, and thinking in a logical manner that are hard to explain. Such individuals tend to create a magical or dream world of their own which might be a warning sign that a person needs to talk to someone to understand the harsh reality that is not making any sense.

 

The exact cause of mental illness is not known; however, there can be many underlying causes of mental illness due to genetic or environmental factors or a combination of both. Certain genes can be inherited which increases the risk of mental illness even with a small percentage of the trigger. The altered chemistry of neurotransmitters in the brain could be another cause where the normal system of the nerve function changes leading to mental disorders. It is of utmost importance to understand the complexity of mental illness as it does not look the same for everyone. Every individual might be experiencing a different set of signs and symptoms. Identifying and acknowledging the signs is the first step to seek help. 

It is highly recommended to talk to a professional if you have any signs or symptoms. Dr. Anil Yadav is a renowned psychiatrist in Gurgaon and training from the best institutes equipped to handle all the situations that may arise while treating patients. His methods of treatment are ethical and best in class with an accurate diagnosis, specific treatment related to illness, and empathetic behavior towards his patients. We welcome you to discuss your thought process, any sort of challenges, and requirements in dealing with the situations with us at the clinic of Dr. Anil Yadav. At our clinic, mental well-being is the mission and we understand that mental illness is a situation that can devastate the individual, and their loving families and friends. Please contact us or book an appointment to experience the professional and honest approach to achieve better mental care.