Mental health disorders appear in many forms, which makes them tough to recognize, diagnose and treat, especially when your symptoms could point to several physical conditions as well. If you’ve tried time and time again to overcome specific feelings or behaviors but fall short every time, then you may need more help than you can give yourself.
You don’t have to suffer in silence, even if what you’re experiencing seems like something you should be able to tackle on your own. The following five symptoms and signs of mental illness may be a reason to seek online mental health services and discover the chemical or emotional cause of your woes.
1. Feeling Worried all the Time
Everyone worries and stresses from time to time, but when the feelings don’t subside, there could be a bigger problem. Constant feelings of anxiety can stop you from living your life and interfere with important relationships. If you feel worried but you’re not sure why, or if you have additional symptoms like shortness of breath, headache, dizziness or heart palpitations, you should ask to be screened for an anxiety disorder right away.
2. Quick Mood Changes and Emotional Outbursts
It’s not always easy to determine how quickly or how often your mood shifts because you’re typically focused on the catalyst and not the feelings. However, your friends and family can tell when you’re experiencing a dramatic change and this can cause them to distance themselves from you at times. If there’s a chemical reason for your outbursts, then medical intervention may be able to alleviate some of your distress.
3. Feeling Sad for No Reason
People often try to justify depression with a reason. You’re tired because you work too hard, or you can’t work out because you broke your ankle back in high school. Being sad “just because” is okay sometimes, but when you lose motivation and interest in hobbies, friendships and work for long periods of time, you could be in the throws of deep mental anguish.
4. Inability to Sleep
Disruption of sleep patterns is often a sign of mental illness, but there are so many other catalysts to blame that you may not even consider it. If you’ve tried everything to cure your insomnia including removing electronic devices, ensuring total darkness and following a strict bedtime routine but sleep still eludes you, then you should ask your doctor about sleep disorders.
5. Loss of Appetite or Weight Fluctuation
Weight issues plague most of the population at one point or another, so when your own eating habits start to fluctuate, you may not think too much about it. However, if you experience rapid weight loss or gain compounded by feelings of anxiety, or if you start to obsess over your food intake, then you may be suffering from deep depression or even an eating disorder.
Chances are, everyone will experience at least one of the symptoms on this list, which does not necessarily point to mental illness. However, if you experience prolonged or compounded indications, you should speak with a professional to learn more about what’s happening in your brain.
