What are the signs? Each illness has its own symptoms, but 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 appe>te• 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, vagueand 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
For more information, Please visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness www.nami.org If you need help now, call 911 or proceed to the nearest emergency room.