Most of the people believe that psychological issues are very rare and “will never affect me’. Well, though this might break your heart but the reality is different. Psychological issues or mental disorders are very common and thus widespread. As per estimations, more than 78 million people each year throughout the world are found suffering from one or the other type of mental disorders.
Most of the families are not emotionally and mentally prepared to accept that their loved one is suffering from mental illness. But in order to get them back to normal life, it is essential to bring them out of such a situation. Remember where there is a problem, there is always a solution.
Understanding mental illness and its types
Before understanding whether you have mental illness or not, it is important to understand what actually mental illness is. As per psychiatrists, mental illness is defined as a disease resulting into mild to severe issues in behavior and thoughts of a person thereby creating trouble in coping up with the regular routines and demands of life. According to science, they are above 200 different types of mental illness. Among them some are common like bipolar disorder depression, dementia, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia. In all of these, the symptoms may vary from sudden change in the personality, mood, social withdrawal or habits.
Mental health issues can be related to stress as a result of a certain situation or a series of events. As with diabetes, cancer and heart disease, psychological or mental issues are often associated along with the physical trouble. Other factors resulting into mental illness can be reaction to the environmental stresses, biochemical imbalances, genetic factors or even a combination of all these following. Fortunately, with proper treatment and care the patient can learn to easily recover or cope with the situation.
Warning symptoms and signs
The first and foremost thing is the way he/she is speaking. Sudden change in the speech tone, behaviors and thoughts address whether a person is suffering from psychological issues or not. Here are the signs that justify whether your loved one is suffering from any kind of mental illness or not.
In case of adolescents and young adults:
- Prolonged depression- irritability or sadness
- Confused thinking
- Social withdrawal
- Feelings of lows and highs
- Dramatic changes in your sleeping and eating habits
- Excess worries, fears and anxieties
- Strange delusions
- Anger
- Hallucinations
- Suicidal thoughts
- Growing inability in coping with the daily activities and problems
- Unexplained physical issues
In case of pre-adolescents and older children
- Inability in coping up with the daily problems
- Changes in eating or sleeping habits
- Excessive complaints hitched to physical ailments
- Intense fear
- Defiance of the authority, theft or vandalism
- Outburst of anger
- Prolonged negative mood with poor appetite and thoughts related to death
In case of younger children
- Changes in the school performance
- Changes in eating or sleeping habits
- Poor grades even after strong efforts
- Excess anxiety or tension
- Persistent nightmares
- Hyperactivity
- Frequent tantrums
To wrap up, time to time counseling and trying to cope up with the feelings one is undergoing can help in getting back to normal life.