It can be challenging to tell the difference between expected behaviors and potential signs of a mental health condition. There’s no easy test that can let someone know if there is mental illness or if actions and thoughts might be typical behaviors of a person or the result of a physical illness.

Warning Signs in Adults

Each mental health condition has its own symptoms, but common signs of mental illness in adults and adolescents can include the following:

Excessive worrying or fear
Feeling excessively sad or low
Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria
Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
Avoiding friends and social activities
Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite
Changes in sex drive
Difficulty perceiving reality (delusions or hallucinations, in which a person experiences and senses things that don’t exist in objective reality)
Inability to perceive changes in one’s own feelings, behavior or personality (”lack of insight” or anosognosia)
Abuse of substances like alcohol or drugs
Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes (such as headaches, stomach aches, vague and ongoing “aches and pains”)
Thinking about suicide
Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress
An intense fear of weight gain or concern with appearance

Youth Mental Health: Warning Signs

Mental health conditions can also begin to develop in young children. Because they’re still learning how to identify and talk about thoughts and emotions, their most obvious symptoms are behavioral. Symptoms in children may include the following:

Changes in school performance
Excessive worry or anxiety, for instance fighting to avoid bed or school
Hyperactive behavior
Frequent nightmares
Frequent disobedience or aggression
Frequent temper tantrums

While each mental health condition is unique, they all impact emotions, thoughts and behavior. Here are some more things to consider in deciding to intervene.

Disruptions In Daily Interactions And Relationships: Everyone experiences a “bad day” from time to time, but when your child seems to be having difficulty with routine daily tasks, it’s important to take notice. This can look like difficulty participating in regular social activities (with family, friends, adults), academics or play/activities.

It can also look like a personality change. For example, if your child is typically socially interactive, but begins to withdraw and has no interest in others, this could be an indicator of an underlying mental health issue. If you notice these type changes lasting more than just a few weeks, it may be time to seek professional help.

Excessive Anxiety: Anxiety is a typical reaction to situations that we perceive as potentially dangerous or where performance has a possible negative effect (like failing a test or losing a game). But when the amount of anxiety or stress is out of proportion to the reality of the risk, you should pay attention to these reactions. It’s time to consider intervening if your child:

Worries about almost everything to the point of withdrawal or has difficulty functioning
Is fearful of certain places (such as school) or going to new places
Experiences sudden bursts of intense fear, impending doom or physical symptoms, such as rapid heart rate, hyperventilation, dizziness or nausea
Believes they must repeat certain thoughts (obsessions) or behaviors (compulsions) to prevent something bad from happening

Depression: We can all feel “down” at some point, especially when setbacks happen. But if your child has ongoing difficulties with any of the following symptoms, it is time to act:

Disturbances in mood (usually irritability in children, compared to deep sadness in adults)
Impaired sleep (typically too much sleep, but some may have trouble falling or staying asleep)
Decreased energy

Decreased self-esteem
Difficulty concentrating
Change in appetite (typically excessive appetite or, more rarely, reduced appetite)
Seems agitated or conversely, “slowed down”
Expresses thoughts of hurting themselves, especially thoughts of suicide

Substance Use: Be on the lookout for changes in behavior that may be due to using substances, including alcohol, marijuana products, psychedelic drugs, prescription medications and others. Substance use may also extend to misuse of over-the-counter drugs or medications prescribed to other people (typically friends or family).

If your child is using substances, you may observe a decline in school or sports performance, decreased engagement with family or friends, sleep problems and sluggish or agitated behavior. Treatment for substance use can be very helpful.

Changes In School Performance: Some children have challenges with standard academic work. However, if your child typically performs well and begins having difficulties, there may be an underlying mental health condition to blame. If academic challenges persist, it may be helpful to get consult with a clinician.

Acute Or Prolonged Stress: A child witnessing violence or experiencing abuse/neglect at home will most likely experience acute or prolonged stress. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be the result of these trauma experiences and may include symptoms like:

Disturbances in memory issues, such as flashbacks
Recurrent thoughts of the trauma
Emotional numbing, such as avoiding social and emotional contact with others
The emergence of a hyper-state of arousal, like they might panic at any time

It is important for anyone experiencing trauma to be able to process, or work through, those experiences. Meeting with a professional can be helpful.

While each mental health condition is unique, they all impact emotions, thoughts and behavior. Here are some things to consider in deciding to intervene.

Worries about almost everything to the point of withdrawal or has difficulty functioning
Is fearful of certain places (such as school) or going to new places
Experiences sudden bursts of intense fear, impending doom or physical symptoms, such as rapid heart rate, hyperventilation, dizziness or nausea
Believes they must repeat certain thoughts (obsessions) or behaviors (compulsions) to prevent something bad from happening

Depression: We can all feel “down” at some point, especially when setbacks happen. But if your child has ongoing difficulties with any of the following symptoms, it is time to act:

Disturbances in mood (usually irritability in children, compared to deep sadness in adults)
Impaired sleep (typically too much sleep, but some may have trouble falling or staying asleep)
Decreased energy

Decreased self-esteem
Difficulty concentrating
Change in appetite (typically excessive appetite or, more rarely, reduced appetite)
Seems agitated or conversely, “slowed down”
Expresses thoughts of hurting themselves, especially thoughts of suicide

Disturbances in memory issues, such as flashbacks
Recurrent thoughts of the trauma
Emotional numbing, such as avoiding social and emotional contact with others
The emergence of a hyper-state of arousal, like they might panic at any time

It is important for anyone experiencing trauma to be able to process, or work through, those experiences. Meeting with a professional can be helpful.

Difficulties Adjusting: Just like the rest of us, children react to challenging situations. Those reactions can include increased anxiety, depression or a mixture of emotional reactions. Common situations that contribute to adjustment difficulties include grief and loss (such as death of a loved one), changes in a parent’s employment, military deployment of a parent, domestic violence, bullying or harassment. If your child seems to be struggling after experiencing a certain event or situation, it can be helpful to talk with a professional about what you are observing.

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