It’s a given fact that human behavior is hard to predict, especially if you’re dealing with teenagers, whom we often find their eccentric behaviors unexplainable. This may prompt us to find useful material to teach us more about emotional moodiness and hormonal changes. But when it comes to unusual behavior, a wider scope of research should be adopted, as they can often be a sign of underlying problems that you would later regret not seeing beforehand. Mental illnesses, especially those that affect our loved ones, can cause us pain as much as they do the ill person, so picking up on the signs early on can save you a great deal of effort and pain and help you treat that disorder faster or at least build the grounds for controlling it. 

So, if you want to know more about common signs of mental illness that we often overlook, continue reading the following article.

Chronic Fatigue

There is more than one condition that can cause chronic fatigue and they are mostly physical conditions, like hormonal imbalance, thyroid imbalance, and adrenal fatigue. You’ll find that other underlying factors are related to chronic fatigue, the most prevalent being depression. It’s been discovered that one of the symptoms of depression is having a sense of recurring fatigue and the inability to get out of bed or even function at times. It’s imperative to be able to identify these symptoms and learn more about them to be able to get a correct diagnosis and seek treatment for depression and constant anxiety. Chronic fatigue does not always have an underlying cause and cannot always be treated, as it’s not a syndrome on its own, but a sign of a depressive disorder. Chronic fatigue is a good way to tell that someone is suffering from depression, as the constant anxiety, fear, and sleep problems will cause exhaustion. There are other signs of depression, like trouble focusing and difficulty making decisions, and also losing interest in hobbies one once enjoyed.

Withdrawing

Everyone needs a timeout from the ruckus that life can be, but sometimes people will unusually withdraw from life, and we’re not talking about how introverted people often withdraw from life to live in their little bubble (this action is not abnormal, as introverts are usually private people and isolating themselves is natural to them), but we’re talking about how someone who used to be a social butterfly suddenly cuts out all means of communication to their friends and family to live in seclusion. When this happens, you can be 90% sure that something is wrong with that person. It can be difficult to contact someone who chooses to stay away from human contact, but it is necessary to at least coax them from this state and advise them to consult a therapist. Withdrawing underlies serious mental illnesses, like a depressive disorder, a bipolar disorder, or a psychotic disorder. While a person’s mental state may not seem that extreme, this abnormal withdrawal can be a sign of something bad, and a professional’s help should always be employed in these cases.

Alcohol Use

You can always tell if someone is abusing alcohol just by perceiving the way they act throughout the day, but this doesn’t always indicate an array of mental problems. Teenagers, for example, will go to parties and experiment with drinking beer on many occasions; however, when the line of constant drinking is crossed, the matter should be investigated by the parents to find out what is going on in their child’s mind or what emotions they are going through. The truth is, that teenagers and adults alike use alcohol and maybe other substances for self-medication. Alcohol can inhibit your faculties and may depress your feelings, which makes it a great element for people suffering from depression and anxiety. Furthermore, alcohol can upset the chemical balance of your brain and give a chance for negative feelings to affect your psyche and permanently damage your mental health. Evidence of that is the high correlation between drinking and aggression, depression, and anxiety. 

Weight Loss

When someone loses a large portion of their weight in a short amount of time, people will congratulate that person on their achievement, but we don’t always think of the darker side of the matter. Sure, weight loss can occur when a person loses weight by following a healthy exercise program along with a healthy diet, but there are also those (especially teenagers) who lose weight due to emotional and societal pressures, such as bullying. Weight loss can start on unhealthy grounds and lead to very dangerous mental illnesses like eating disorders, anorexia, dysmorphia, or bulimia. One way to find out that weight loss has occurred due to an eating disorder is by asking that person, whether they were working with a doctor or nutritionist, or if they were following a healthy diet. If a person is suddenly losing weight without an obvious reason for it, you should probably have that person examined by a doctor or a therapist. 

Emotional Impulsions

Sometimes, we feel like we’re being consumed by our feelings. However, there is a fine line between being overwhelmed by emotions and being consumed by them. Feeling a great deal of joy than being crippled by a wave of sadness right away, surely does not fall on the “normal feelings” spectrum. There are also the great bouts of energy that allow you to unleash your creativity that is instantly followed by a deep-seated state of lethargy. When you notice these emotional turbulences in someone’s behavior, always make sure they consult a therapist, as they could be strong indicators of mood disorders like bipolar disorder and major depression. Note that there are cases in which substances can cause these emotional outbursts, like the cases of a substance-induced mood disorder, in which drug abuse, exposure to toxins, or effects of any form of treatment are the cause of emotional imbalances.

Abnormal Compulsions

Everyone has their form of a guilty pleasure. Be it abusing a certain product, spending all your salary in one go to satisfy your inner shopaholic, or obsessively exercising, they are almost accepted by our society as normal activities, but you should bear in mind that when these activities err on the side of obsession and compulsion, paying more attention to the behavior of that person is necessary, as they can signify disorder, like OCD and bipolar disorder.

Identifying mental illnesses can sometimes be difficult, especially that not all these signs will be exhibited in a clear-cut manner and will need more observation on your part so you can be sure that this person needs to see a therapist. Mental illness, after all, is a serious issue and should not be neglected or under prioritized in favor of other issues.