Warning Signs for Mental Illness

Often, people who experience mental illness are not diagnosed and do not receive treatment for years after their symptoms begin. This may be partially due to the fact that they and their loved ones do not recognize the early signs of an emerging mental health disorder. At Cottonwood, in Tucson, Arizona, we offer outpatient and residential treatment for behavioral health disorders. We know from experience that the sooner a person gets treatment for a mental illness, the easier it is for them to make a full recovery.

One in five adults struggle with their mental health. Often, family and friends notice that something feels “off” about their loved one, but they don’t consider the possibility that the changes they see could be a sign of a mental health disorder. It is important to look deeper, if you notice the following:

  • Dramatic changes to sleep, energy, appetite, or mood
  • Isolation and avoidance
  • Decreased functioning or behaving erratically in work, school, socialization, or family life
  • Cognitive decline – concentration, memory, logical thinking, and/or speech
  • Greater sensitivity to smells, sounds, physical sensations, and sights
  • Numbed emotions and generally being disconnected
  • Seeming overly anxious or fearful
  • Physical pain

Reasons Why People Don’t Recognize Mental Illness

There are a variety of reasons why people don’t see the early symptoms of mental illness for what they are:

  • The person could just be lacking information about mental health, such that they don’t know what the symptoms of mental illness might look like.
  • Stigma may cause people to believe that it is insulting to imply that someone they love is struggling with their mental health or it may alter their perception of mental health in such a way that they cannot imagine that people with mental illness are good people, who live amongst them and add to their own quality of life.
  • Mental illnesses begin in late childhood or early adolescence, and those symptoms may be attributed to typical teenage angst. While it is true that moodiness can be common among young people and everyone has a bad day from time to time, bad days should be balanced with good days, so you should not see weeks or months on end, where a young person seems to not be themselves.
  • Symptoms can vary from one person to the next, so what one person exhibits might not fit the textbook definition perfectly, leading to misdiagnosis or no diagnosis at all.
  • Anosognosia is the inability of a person to see their own mental illness. More than just denial, anosognosia is a lack of insight that prevents a person from accepting their own diagnosis and it can interfere with treatment.

When To Get Professional Support

The love of family and friends is hugely important when someone is struggling, but it might be time to reach out for professional help if:

  • You notice several of the signs listed above
  • Experiencing a recent painful event
  • The changes you see aren’t linked to a specific event
  • Experiencing things that others do not such as voices, whether they are menacing or harmless, physical sensations, like bugs crawling on their skin, or things that are not there
  • The person’s life is being impacted negatively

In addition, you may see indications that the person might be having suicidal thoughts. This could include expressing hopelessness, feeling trapped or worthlessness, collecting items they could use to hurt themselves, talking, posting, writing, or “joking” about death or killing themselves, tying up loose ends by giving away cherished possessions, looking into life insurance, writing a will, saying goodbye to friends and family as if they will never see them again, or having an increase in alcohol or drug use.

How To Get Help

Talk to the person about what you see. Ask them to tell you how they are doing and if they have considered ending their life.

If they are not in immediate danger:

  • Their family doctor can rule out physical causes, screen for common mental health disorders, and refer to a mental health provider.
  • Their insurance carrier may be able to help them find local mental health providers that are in-network. 
  • They may be able to self-refer for mental health services just by reaching out to a nearby mental health clinic.

If the person is part of a faith community, they may be more comfortable receiving counseling or a referral from their spiritual leader. This can be particularly helpful if their religious leader is knowledgeable about mental health and will encourage treatment.

If you are concerned that they may not be safe but they deny having a plan to hurt themselves, you could help them to contact the National Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. A trained crisis counselor will respond and help them come up with a plan to stay safe. Arizona has several crisis lines and warm lines of its own that the person can utilize.

If they refuse to utilize the crisis lifeline, you can reach out yourself, but there may be less the crisis counselor can do to help, without talking to the person directly. If the person is in immediate danger or they pose a threat to someone else, call 911 or take them to the nearest emergency room. Do not leave them alone.

At Cottonwood Tucson, we treat mental health disorders, addiction, and secondary eating disorders. We know that it is painful for people to suffer through their symptoms, not knowing why they are hurting, and for their loved ones to watch the struggle. We want friends and family members to see the signs and know when and how to step in.

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