According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 57.7 million American adults suffer from a mental disorder. Yet, many of them are not aware that they, or their loved one, might suffer from a mental disorder. Mood disorders commonly remain undiagnosed, the Surgeon General says. Nevertheless, many mental disorders are highly treatable with psychotherapy and medication. That is why it is essential to learn to recognize the classic symptoms of common mental illnesses.
Lost Contact with Reality
A classic sign of a mental disorder is that a person loses touch with reality. His perceptions might be disturbed so that he sees or hears things that are not present. He may also express irrational ideas. For example, he might tell you that someone is trying to hurt him or that he is a king in some nonexistent place. These kinds of symptoms are typical for schizophrenia, which is considered to be one of the most severe mental illnesses.
Danger to Himself or Others
A person who has hurt himself or other people can be considered mentally ill. Even an intention or a serious threat to commit a suicide is enough for a person to be admitted to a hospital so that his mental state can be evaluated. The same applies if a person threatens to hurt other people. Yet one must take into account the age of the person making the threats. Such threats in a young child are rarely a sign of a mental disorder. Also, it is important to find out whether the threats were simply made to get attention without any true intention behind them.
Poor Self-Care
It is typical for a mentally ill patient to stop taking care of herself. She may not even notice that she has not taken a shower or changed her clothes for a week. When you visit the home of a mentally ill person, you might notice that nobody has cleaned for a while and that there is no food in the house. You might see a pile of bills waiting to be paid or a pile of trash forgotten outside the front door. This kind behavior is common for many different kinds of mental illnesses, such as mood disorders.
Maladaptive Behaviors
Mentally ill people are often unable to function in the society they live in. She might lose job after job and have a tendency to have all her relationships end badly. A mentally healthy person can get upset with her supervisor but generally restrains herself from taking further action because she is aware of the consequences of her actions. A mentally ill person typically does not consider these things and does rash things on a whim. This kind of disruptive behavior can cause her to get fired from work or suspended from school. Someone who is mentally ill might also become dependent on alcohol or drugs. This is characteristic behavior for bipolar individuals.
What Is Not Abnormal
There is a big variation between cultures in what is considered abnormal. For example, in Nazi-occupied Europe, people who hid Jewish families were often labeled as mentally ill. In modern society, this type of behavior is often viewed as heroic. Typically, big cities are more tolerant towards odd behavior than small towns. Behavior cannot be classified as abnormal simply because it is unusual or odd. In order for a behavior to be considered abnormal it must somehow challenge or hurt other people or the person's own life. Also, a depression, for example, is a normal reaction after losing a job or a loved one. It is the duration of the depression that tells us whether this is a normal reaction or a mental illness. If the symptoms continue for more than two weeks, the person is typically suffering from a mental illness.
