Certain changes in behavior and mood, as well as the loss of the ability to maintain relationships with other people, can indicate a serious mental illness. Of course, it is necessary to deal with these signs immediately after their appearance in order to avoid complications.
Mental illness can affect a person’s behavior and attitude toward the environment, as well as provoke sudden mood swings. Each such change can be a symptom of a mental disorder. It is worth noting that there are many reasons for the development of mental illnesses, and all of them can have serious consequences. Fortunately, sometimes similar deviations are only temporary.
In some cases, the patient himself notices warning signs of a psychological disorder, but more often changes in behavior are noticed by other people from the patient’s close environment. Unpleasant symptoms of mental disorders are fear, pain, misunderstandings and conflicts in personal relationships, loss of independence, desire to isolate from the rest of society, etc.
Warning Signs
Sleep disorders
One of the main signs that are usually accompanied by mental disorders is sleep disturbance. The patient may be disturbed by opposite phenomena: either regular insomnia or a constant feeling of fatigue. Moreover, sometimes mentally ill people suffer from attacks of somnambulism, and they can also be tormented by nightmares.
Psychological deviations and phobias
Undoubtedly, phobias are one of the most striking symptoms of mental disorders. The most common cases of agoraphobia are the fear of leaving one’s home. Patients with this phobia do not like to be in society and are afraid to interact with other people.
People with mental illnesses often complain of a fear of being in the middle of a crowd.
Note that phobias have a direct impact on a person’s behavior and the ability of a person with symptoms of a mental disorder to adapt to the environment.
Unreasonable mood swings
Everyone can experience sadness, excessive nervousness, excitement, irritation, anger, and loss of ability to enjoy pleasant things or events from time to time. However, when such negative emotions arise for no apparent reason, we recommend paying attention to this. Unfortunately, sudden mood swings can lead to misunderstandings in relationships with a partner and distance the patient from a loved one.
Distortion of reality
It’s no secret that mentally ill people perceive reality in a completely different way than normal healthy people. It is worth noting that distortion of reality has nothing to do with political, sexual, or religious views. The problem lies in the inability to perceive reality as it is.
A vivid example of this disorder is mania and hallucinations, and these phenomena occur without the use of psychotropic drugs.
Changing eating habits
In fact, eating disorders are quite common in our culture, especially among teenagers.
Believe it or not, eating disorders are also often indicative of mental illness. Some patients begin to eat a lot without controlling the size of portions. At the same time, they do not pay attention to the deterioration of well-being or the appearance of extra kilograms.
There are also mentally ill people who completely refuse to eat because their distorted perception of reality makes them feel too fat. It is from such deviations that eating disorders begin, in particular, bulimia and anorexia. It is worth noting that these diseases are directly related to the distortion of reality.
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