15 Most Common Signs of Mental Health Issues

Mental health challenges are widespread, affecting around 20% of adults annually, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. However, mental illness stigma prevents many people from noticing symptoms and getting help.

Being attuned to possible warning signs is crucial for getting loved ones the support they need to thrive. This article explores the most common red flags indicating someone is dealing with a mental health issue.

1. Changes in Mood and Outlook

One of the most telling signs is a pronounced change in mood that persists for weeks or months. This includes persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anger, or apathy. Loss of interest and pleasure in fun activities could signal depression. Heightened anxiety may manifest as constant unexplained worry, panic attacks, and avoiding social situations.

Other mood issues to watch for are exaggerated euphoria, impulsive decision-making, and increased risk-taking, indicating mania associated with bipolar disorder. Sudden unexplained shifts in personality and outlook are also red flags.

2. Withdrawing from Regular Activities

When a person disengages from hobbies, relationships, and other activities, they used to enjoy; it may point to mental health problems. For example, they may drop out of sports teams, musical groups, book clubs, or religious communities they were previously active. Other signs include visiting friends less often, declining social invitations, and pulling away from family.

The individual may feel unable to keep up with regular social and recreational activities due to depression, anxiety, or other mental health disorders.

3. Difficulty Coping with Everyday Life

Struggling to cope with normal stresses and responsibilities can affect mental health. Reacting to challenges with heightened irritability, anger outbursts, avoidance, substance use, or emotional breakdowns may mean someone is unable to cope in a mentally healthy manner.

Healthy coping entails facing obstacles head-on, communicating needs clearly, and managing stress through exercise, relaxation techniques, humor, or social support. Difficulty doing these things can severely impact the quality of life.

4. Confused Thinking and Speech Patterns

Disordered thinking and communication issues may stem from mental health conditions like schizophrenia, severe depression, or bipolar disorder. Potential signs to note are difficulty organizing thoughts coherently, getting fixated on odd ideas, expressing confusing verbalizations, and displaying speech/behavior that seems disconnected from reality.

These reflect impaired cognitive and perceptual functioning that likely requires medical care.

5. Apathy and Neglect of Self-Care

Mental illnesses often sap motivation and energy for attending to personal health and hygiene. Indicators include the inability to perform basic self-care tasks like getting out of bed, bathing, or brushing teeth, neglecting medical needs, making living environments unsanitary, and showing apathy about grooming and appearance.

While temporary lapses in self-care are normal during difficult times, prolonged neglect typically signals more serious psychological problems.

6. Engaging in Risky and Reckless Behaviors

Some mental health conditions lead to poor impulse control and dangerous behaviors like substance abuse, compulsive gambling, sexual recklessness, violence, and thrill-seeking activities. Such conduct can stem from illnesses like bipolar disorder, certain personality disorders, schizophrenia, and untreated trauma.

The individual may act out on destructive urges without concern for harmful consequences to themselves or others.

7. Persistent Lack of Energy

Ongoing fatigue and low energy not alleviated by adequate sleep can have psychological underpinnings. Chronic exhaustion commonly occurs alongside mood disorders like depression and anxiety and trauma disorders like PTSD.

Those experiencing persistent fatigue often have difficulty concentrating, diminished motivation, and an inability to feel refreshed regardless of how much they rest.

8. Heightened Agitation and Anger

Mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorder often cause increased irritability, short temper, and inappropriate outbursts of anger. Yelling, hurtful language, throwing objects, and other aggressive reactions to minor frustrations are warning signs, especially if they feel out of character.

9. Excessive Worry and Anxiety

Occasional anxiety is normal, but chronic, overwhelming worry that feels uncontrollable could indicate an anxiety disorder. Symptoms like panic attacks, avoiding anxiety-triggering situations, muscle tension, nausea, and persistent dread or fear can severely impact daily functioning.

10. Sleep Disturbances

Changes in sleep patterns like insomnia, hypersomnia, fitful sleep, and nightmares can have psychological origins. The inability to fall asleep or stay asleep often accompanies mood disorders. Oversleeping, followed by still feeling exhausted, is common with depression. Fear of nightmares can also reinforce sleep avoidance.

11. Loss of Interest in Food or Overeating

Appetite changes like apathy toward food, loss of enjoyment of meals, and disinterest in preparing or eating food can indicate depression or anxiety. Alternatively, some individuals with mental health troubles may engage in emotional overeating for comfort, resulting in weight gain.

12. Cognitive Decline

The gradual development of memory and concentration problems, confusion, and impaired decision-making may stem from conditions like dementia, depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, or traumatic brain injuries. Getting medical attention for declines in cognitive functioning is essential.

13. Physical Effects of Stress

Chronic stress associated with mental illness can cause various physical symptoms like headaches, stomachaches, chest pain, high blood pressure, muscle tension, nausea, and general bodily discomfort that persists over weeks or months. If medical causes are ruled out, these physical effects may be linked to a mental health condition.

14. Attachment to Substances

Relying on alcohol, drugs, or medications to cope with emotions, numb painful feelings, or avoid dealing with issues is a maladaptive response strongly linked to underlying mental health disorders.

Concerns include hiding substance use problems, using alone, and continuing despite negative consequences.

Over 50% of individuals struggling with substance abuse have co-occurring psychiatric illnesses like depression, per the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

15. Expressions of Hopelessness or Suicidal Thoughts

Any talk, writing, posting, joking, or hinting about suicide, self-harm, or wish to be no longer alive may indicate suicidal ideation in someone battling depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse, PTSD, or another mental illness. These are clear signs the person urgently needs intervention and mental health support.

Getting Help for a Loved One Showing Signs

If you notice any of these mental health red flags in someone you care about, kindly express your concerns and encourage them to seek help through counseling, therapy groups, or psychiatric care. Getting appropriate professional assistance early is crucial for symptom management.

With compassion, understanding, and proper treatment, individuals dealing with mental health challenges can recover, control symptoms, and regain quality of life. We all need to learn warning signs, foster open conversations, and help end the stigma around mental illness so those suffering feel safe seeking support.

Many excellent mental health resources are available, like the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mental Health America, and Active Minds that provide education, screening tools, crisis helplines, and ways to get involved. Seeking assistance for a mental health concern is a sign of strength.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mental Health Signs

What are some early signs of mental illness?

Early signs may include prolonged sadness, fatigue, feeling anxious or worried most of the time, withdrawing from friends/family, letting self-care and hygiene deteriorate, risky behaviors, angry outbursts, inability to cope with stress, and significant changes in eating/sleeping habits.

How do you know if someone needs mental help?

Look for signs like rapid mood swings, fearful/panicked behavior, confused thinking and speech, detachment from reality, delusions or hallucinations, inability to care for themselves properly, and expressions of suicidal thoughts in speech/writing. Any of these mental health red flags means they need professional evaluation.

Can someone seem normal but have mental health issues?

Absolutely. Many people struggling with mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, PTSD, or bipolar disorder can seem fine outwardly while masking inner turmoil. Look for subtle signs like lack of energy, short temper, withdrawal, low self-esteem, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbances.