Possible Signs That You Have Mental Health Disorder | Don't Ignore Them
Mental health disorder is a term used to describe a set of illnesses that affects one's mental or psychiatric faculty leading to personal, cognitive or behavioral impairment.
There are different forms or types of mental health disorders. The most popularly known mental health challenges are depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and many more.
Mental Health Disorder is a global health challenge that affects people of different genders, countries and races. The United Nations (UN) reports that about a billion people worldwide suffer from some form of mental health disorder. The World Health Organization, WHO, simply implies that 1 in every 8 people in the world suffers from mental health issues, according to a 2022 report. This amounts to about 970 million people. This value comprises 20% of adolescents and children. Depression alone affects about 264 million people, making it one of the major global health challenges.
There are different forms or types of mental health disorders. The most popularly known mental health challenges are depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and many more.
Mental Health Disorder is a global health challenge that affects people of different genders, countries and races. The United Nations (UN) reports that about a billion people worldwide suffer from some form of mental health disorder. The World Health Organization, WHO, simply implies that 1 in every 8 people in the world suffers from mental health issues, according to a 2022 report. This amounts to about 970 million people. This value comprises 20% of adolescents and children. Depression alone affects about 264 million people, making it one of the major global health challenges.
Related: Self-care practices to boost good mental health.
The big threat is that most people who suffer from any of these conditions are not aware of their situations. Those who know about it end up trying to handle it themselves, thereby engaging in drug abuse and other harmful activities that worsen the condition.
The big threat is that most people who suffer from any of these conditions are not aware of their situations. Those who know about it end up trying to handle it themselves, thereby engaging in drug abuse and other harmful activities that worsen the condition.
Not knowing your mental health status is even far more dangerous. Therefore, in this post, we are going to list the possible signs and symptoms to help you know your mental health status in order to find timely solution.
15 Major Signs of Mental Health Disorder
1. You feel like you're "not quite right" or "different" from other people:
Mental health disorders can affect how you feel about yourself or your self-esteem. One such is making you feel like something is abnormal about you. People with this mindset would likely feel worthless, unfit and lower in the society. This kind of feeling may lead them to dissociation or a feeling of being forsaken or maltreated by everyone else except themselves.Having negative emotions of this nature causes anti-social behaviors that in turn come with other consequences. Constantly feeling this way can be a sign of mental health failure.
2. You have problems with your memory, concentration, or decision-making:
Anyone with a sound mind also has a good memory and can easily make good choices. In contrast, poor mental health is associated with lack of concentration, attentiveness and inability to remember things easily. With these symptoms, decision-making can be tough because of certain sentiments resulting from the mental health disorder.3. You have a hard time controlling your emotions, or you often feel very sad, anxious, or angry.
Excessive sadness, anger and uncontrollable emotions are just a few of the abnormal behaviors that poor mental health can cause. At times these behaviors can be normal but when they become rampant or out of control, it becomes a problem that needs to be resolved. Poor mental health makes you emotionally volatile thereby exposing you to negative feelings like sadness and anger. Those who face this may not know how to be happy with themselves.Related: How to Easily Control Your Anger
Everyone around you cannot always treat you badly except something is wrong with you. When you feel like everything and everyone is against you in workplace, society, family or wherever you go, it could be that you are the problem.
Most addictions result from mental health disorders. When people face challenging situations that make them sad or mentally sick, they most likely want to use drugs to release their anxiety and negative feelings.
4. You have a hard time keeping a job or maintaining relationships.
Having mental health disorder can make you have some behaviors that you yourself are not conscious of. In this case, relating well with family members, friends, colleagues and neighbors can be very hard. Consequently, this might lead to failures in relationships, marriages, or even job loss.
Related: How to Build a Peaceful and Happy Family
Related: How to Build a Peaceful and Happy Family
5. You self-medicate with drugs or alcohol, or you engage in risky or self-destructive behaviors:
"A sound and positive mindset is the key to your emotional recovery." - Abas Obot
The aim is to forget about their worries or whatever they are facing. In this case, abuse of drugs, alcoholism and other self-destructive behaviors like addiction sets in. If you constantly engage in substance abuse, it could be that what you need is not that substance but immediate mental health therapy.
Related: How to overcome the feeling of loneliness
6. You have a history of trauma or physical abuse.
A traumatic past like sexual or childhood abuse is associated with mental health disorders like anxiety. Such experience also includes witnessing wars, terrorism, crises, physical abuses or other forms of violent encounters in the past. The memory of such horrible scenes is hard to erase. That is why most waterfront soldiers sometimes end up having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a form of mental health disorder associated with past traumatic encounters.
Having a constant memory of any horrible or traumatic past can be a symptom of mental illness.
Related: 12 Signs You Have Depression
7. You've been through a major life change or stressor, such as the death of a loved one, a divorce, heartbreak or a job loss.
Trying to cope with a sense of loss of any form is a very hard process. It becomes a big deal when your loss is someone you once loved so much or have a future together with or something you valued dearly. When you find yourself beginning to act weird, or abnormal after a certain loss be it divorce, heartbreak or death of a loved one, it could be that you have mental health disorder.8. You have a family history of mental health disorders.
People who have history of mental health disorders running in their families are prone to facing similar fate over those whose family members have not experienced such. Some of the mental health disorders that possibly follow family lines include depression, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). If your parents or past relatives had any of these disorders, it is possible that you are suffering same.Related: 12 Signs You Have Depression
9. You have a chronic medical condition, or you take medication that can affect your mood or behavior.
Some medications are known to interfere with mood. When you are taking such medicines or drugs, it is important to look out for your feelings and mood. If it feels like you are mentally affected, then it is the medicine. In this case, you may not need many tests to confirm something is interfering with your mental health.10. You're experiencing changes in your sleep patterns or eating habits.
Mental health challenges like anxiety and depression can cause insomnia or what is popularly known as sleeplessness. The subject of sleep and mental health is a conflict of consequence and causation. This is so because research has shown that poor sleeping habits can lead to mental health disorders. In contrast, lack of sleep can as well be a symptom of mental health challenges.11. You're withdrawing from activities or social situations.
One of the well-known mental health disorders with social withdrawal syndrome is depression. When social withdrawal reaches its peak, you may find yourself engulfed in loneliness. Therefore, once you find yourself no more interest in social activities or being around those you once cherished, it could be a sign that you need help.Related: How to overcome the feeling of loneliness
12. You're experiencing changes in your thinking, such as racing thoughts or intrusive thoughts.
People with mental health disorders may find themselves having wandering thoughts. In this case the mind hardly finds peace and rest. When all your thoughts are worrisome, anxious and scary, it could be a sign of mental health.A sound mind thinks positively and makes plans for the future instead of being too worried or concerned about things that may not even pose a major threat.
Some people who were exposed to violent scenes or negative activities from childhood may keep the memory of their pasts. Such memory may haunt for lifetime making them to act abnormally. They may engage in violence and activities terrorism, homicide, drug trafficking and other social vices.
13. You're feeling hopeless, helpless, or worthless.
We have discussed about these in the previous paragraphs, but this is for emphasis. You are not worthless, you have value, you are unique. When you constantly have a sense of unworthiness, helplessness and hopelessness, it is a sign of mental health disorder. Mental depression, for instance, can make you give up on yourself, your aspirations and your dreams.14. You cherish violence or things others find abnormal.
Some people who were exposed to violent scenes or negative activities from childhood may keep the memory of their pasts. Such memory may haunt for lifetime making them to act abnormally. They may engage in violence and activities terrorism, homicide, drug trafficking and other social vices.
It can also make you hate yourself and people around you. If you see yourself engaging in these activities, think about your past, maybe you can realize that you are psychologically abnormal.
Related: How to stop hating someone
15. You nag and hate too much
Bad behaviors control or attitudes and how we treat others, however, our behaviors can as well indicate our states of mind. Most patients of mental health disorder can experience mood swings that define their actions. They can behave bitterly, get annoyed easily or even hate themselves and others. This can also result in nagging and outrageous manners.
What is the way out of mental health disorder?
- Seek help: Once you feel like you have mental health disorder or observe any of the above signs in your life or the life of someone close to you, seek help immediately. Mental illness can affect your entire well-being and expose you to several life-threatening situations.
- Don't fight alone: The more you allow it to consume you in the process of trying to be strong, the more you allow it to proliferate.
- Read our resources: In addition, seek out for our previous publications such our guides on how to deal with mental depression for more helpful tips. You can contact us for help through our contact form or email.
Mental health disorder is a global challenge. If you realize that you are suffering from any of it through the above signs and symptoms, do not panic. You are not alone in this struggle, just like millions have won the fight against this, you too can do it.
Arden Winston
Hi, this is Arden. I'm a medical doctor and a passionate writer from San Francisco, CA. I love using my skills to help others learn about and improve their health. I'm committed to providing my readers with the best possible resources on a wide range of health topics, from the basics of nutrition and fitness to more complex issues like chronic diseases. I also write about self-care, mental health, self-improvement and sometimes, tech.
