Few among the major mental illnesses like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia rarely come ‘out of the blue’. Most often, friends, family members, individuals and teachers are able to recognize very small changes or some gut feeling which says that something is just not right about the way they think, behave and feel. While the symptoms of poor mental health may sometimes be subdued but there are other times when they might come in a full-blown form.

Unlike what most people believe about mental disorders, such disorders are widespread and common. A predicted 54 million Americans tend to suffer from some kind of mental disorder. You may check this link e-counseling.com – a guide to mental health to know more on how you should take care of your mental health. Let’s check out the symptoms of poor mental health.

Mental illness – What is it?

Mental illness is a disease which causes either mild forms of disturbances or severe forms of depression in behavior or thought which leads to incapability to cope with the routines and demands of life. If you take a closer look, you will see that there are 200 classified forms of mental illness and some of them are bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and dementia. Few of the common symptoms are change in personality, mood, personal habits and withdrawal from the society.

Symptoms and warning signs

It is especially necessary to pay attention to the unexpected changes in behaviors and thoughts. One more thing that you need to keep in mind is that the onset of different symptoms and not only any one change which indicates that the problem will be assessed. The symptoms that are given below won’t be due to any substance use or medical condition.

Among adults, adolescents, young adults

• Confused thought process
• Feeling of extreme lows and highs
• Depression for a long time
• Excessive worries, fears and anxieties
• Withdrawal from society
• Drastic changes in sleeping and eating habits
• Strange delusions and thoughts
• Strong feeling of anger and despair
• Hallucinations and
• Suicidal thoughts

In pre-adolescents and older children

• Substance abuse
• Changes in eating and sleeping habits
• Incapability of coping with daily activities and problems
• Physical ailments or excessive complaints
• Change in ability to manage things
• Defence of truancy, authority or vandalism
• Frequent outbursts

Therefore, if you find any or many of the above mentioned symptoms in yourself or in someone close to you, take him to a counselor and seek professional assistance.