Recognising Mental Health Problems
Signs and symptoms could include some of the following:
- Difficulties with memory and concentration.
- Feeling emotionally numb, or frequently wanting to cry.
- Overwork, restlessness, hyperactivity, or finding it hard to do anything at all.
- Difficulty sleeping, or difficulty staying awake.
- Loss of appetite, comfort-eating, or preoccupation with food and weight.
- Talking too much or too fast, or not talking at all.
- Feeling constantly fearful, or experiencing panic-attacks.
- Difficulty relating to your environment and/or to other people.
- Feelings of unreality, or heightened reality.
- Hearing voices, or seeing or feeling things others appear not to hear/see/feel.
- Persistent worrying thoughts or ideas.
- Self-harming.
- Suicidal thoughts.
Any one of these problems on its own does not necessarily indicate mental illness, but it is always best to seek help or advice.
- It is estimated that one in four adults in Britain will experience mental health difficulties at some time in their life, and one in fifty will suffer serious mental illness.
- We are all on a continuum of mental health and can move up and down dependent upon a wide range of factors, such as nutrition, bullying, or loss.
- Individuals with no previous history of mental health difficulties may become affected if their circumstances change.
- Others, who have had previous mental health problems, may experience a recurrence when placed in new stressful situations.
- Though recovery can sometimes take time, people can, and frequently do, recover completely, from most types of mental illness.
- Some individuals may be vulnerable to further episodes of illness, or require longer-term treatment, but support can reduce the risk of relapse.
Useful video clips