By FPL_Staff
Did you know that 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year? May is Mental Health Awareness month and it’s important to know that help is available for yourself or a loved one.
While there is no quiz or checklist for mental illness, here are some common warning signs of mental illness in adults (from the National Alliance on Mental Illness):
- 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
- 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)
- Overuse 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
Similarly, here are some common warning signs of mental illness in children or adolescents:
- 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
If you or a loved one needs help, call or text the National Alliance on Mental Illness at 800-950-6264. If you are in a crisis? Call or text 988.
Library Resources on Mental Health:
The Family Guide to Mental Health Care, opens a new window
Health Understanding Mental Health, opens a new window
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