Know the Warning Signs
Trying to tell the difference between what expected behaviors are and what might be the signs of a mental illness isn't always easy. There's no easy test that can let someone know if there is 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.
Mental health conditions can also begin to develop in young children. Because they’re still learning how to identify and talk about thoughts and emotions, their most obvious symptoms are behavioral. Symptoms in children may include:
Where to Get Help
Don’t be afraid to reach out if you or someone you know needs help. Learning all you can about mental health is an important first step.
Reach out to your health insurance, primary care doctor or state/country mental health authority for more resources.
Contact the NAMI HelpLine to find out what services and supports are available in your community.
If you or someone you know needs helps now, you should immediately call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or call 911.
Receiving a Diagnosis
Knowing warning signs can help let you know if you need to speak to a professional. For many people, getting an accurate diagnosis is the first step in a treatment plan.
Unlike diabetes or cancer, there is no medical test that can accurately diagnose mental illness. A mental health professional will use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, to assess symptoms and make a diagnosis. The manual lists criteria including feelings and behaviors and time limits in order to be officially classified as a mental health condition.
After diagnosis, a health care provider can help develop a treatment plan that could include medication, therapy or other lifestyle changes.
Finding Treatment
Getting a diagnosis is just the first step; knowing your own preferences and goals is also important. Treatments for mental illness vary by diagnosis and by person. There’s no “one size fits all” treatment. Treatment options can include medication, counseling (therapy), social support and education.
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” or anosognosia)
- 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. Because they’re still learning how to identify and talk about thoughts and emotions, their most obvious symptoms are behavioral. 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
Where to Get Help
Don’t be afraid to reach out if you or someone you know needs help. Learning all you can about mental health is an important first step.
Reach out to your health insurance, primary care doctor or state/country mental health authority for more resources.
Contact the NAMI HelpLine to find out what services and supports are available in your community.
If you or someone you know needs helps now, you should immediately call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or call 911.
Receiving a Diagnosis
Knowing warning signs can help let you know if you need to speak to a professional. For many people, getting an accurate diagnosis is the first step in a treatment plan.
Unlike diabetes or cancer, there is no medical test that can accurately diagnose mental illness. A mental health professional will use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, to assess symptoms and make a diagnosis. The manual lists criteria including feelings and behaviors and time limits in order to be officially classified as a mental health condition.
After diagnosis, a health care provider can help develop a treatment plan that could include medication, therapy or other lifestyle changes.
Finding Treatment
Getting a diagnosis is just the first step; knowing your own preferences and goals is also important. Treatments for mental illness vary by diagnosis and by person. There’s no “one size fits all” treatment. Treatment options can include medication, counseling (therapy), social support and education.
Coping with Crisis
If a family member is affected with schizophrenia or a serious affective disorder, you may encounter crisis situations from time to time. Family members or friends will generally become aware of a variety of behaviors which will give rise to mounting concern: sleeplessness, ritualistic preoccupation with certain activities, suspiciousness, unpredictable outbursts and so on. During these early stages a full-blown crisis can sometimes be averted. Often the person has ceased taking medication. If you suspect this, try to encourage a visit to the physician.
You must learn to trust your intuitive feelings. If you too feel frightened or panic-stricken, the situation calls for immediate action. Remember your primary task is to help the person regain control. Do nothing to further agitate the scene.
It is imperative that you remain calm.
Don’t threaten. This may be interpreted as a power play and increase fear or prompt aggressive behavior by the person.
Don’t shout. If the person with mental illness seems not to be listening, it isn’t because he or she is hard of hearing. Other “voices” are probably interfering or predominating.
Don’t criticize. It will only make matters worse; it can’t possibly make things better.
Don’t squabble with other family members over “best strategies” or allocations of blame. This is no time to prove a point.
Don’t bait the person into acting out wild threats; the consequences could be tragic.
Don’t stand over the person if he or she is seated. Instead, seat yourself.
Avoid direct, continuous eye contact or touching of the person. Try to comply with any request that is reasonable and that does not increase danger. This provides the person with an opportunity to feel somewhat “in control.”
Don’t block the doorway. However, do keep yourself between the person and an exit.
Things always go better if you speak softly and in simple sentences.
If the situation escalates and you need to call the police, and preferably a C.I.T.(Crisis Intervention Team Trained officer), explain that your relative or friend is in need of psychiatric assessment and that you have called them for help.
Toll Free Helpline: 877-463-NAMI (6264) Volunteers and staff are available to talk to individuals with mental illness, siblings, children, parents, spouses or professionals who call for information related to mental illnesses. The Helpline hours are 9:00am to 4:00pm Monday through Friday.
You must learn to trust your intuitive feelings. If you too feel frightened or panic-stricken, the situation calls for immediate action. Remember your primary task is to help the person regain control. Do nothing to further agitate the scene.
It is imperative that you remain calm.
Don’t threaten. This may be interpreted as a power play and increase fear or prompt aggressive behavior by the person.
Don’t shout. If the person with mental illness seems not to be listening, it isn’t because he or she is hard of hearing. Other “voices” are probably interfering or predominating.
Don’t criticize. It will only make matters worse; it can’t possibly make things better.
Don’t squabble with other family members over “best strategies” or allocations of blame. This is no time to prove a point.
Don’t bait the person into acting out wild threats; the consequences could be tragic.
Don’t stand over the person if he or she is seated. Instead, seat yourself.
Avoid direct, continuous eye contact or touching of the person. Try to comply with any request that is reasonable and that does not increase danger. This provides the person with an opportunity to feel somewhat “in control.”
Don’t block the doorway. However, do keep yourself between the person and an exit.
Things always go better if you speak softly and in simple sentences.
If the situation escalates and you need to call the police, and preferably a C.I.T.(Crisis Intervention Team Trained officer), explain that your relative or friend is in need of psychiatric assessment and that you have called them for help.
Toll Free Helpline: 877-463-NAMI (6264) Volunteers and staff are available to talk to individuals with mental illness, siblings, children, parents, spouses or professionals who call for information related to mental illnesses. The Helpline hours are 9:00am to 4:00pm Monday through Friday.