Early Signs of Mental Health Problems

Mental health problems consist of a wide range of experiences/issues, some of which may be mild or moderate, while others may be more severe, affecting a person's ability to deal with day-to-day living. You may have heard about some very commonly discussed problems such as depression, eating disorders, self-harm, psychosis, stress and bipolar disorder.

The early signs of mental health problems will differ from person to person and are not always easy to spot. However, at times, the signs become more noticeable to other people, for instance, if you're mood starts changing, it may take some time for you to become aware of it but other people may be much more conscious of the difference.

Common early signs of a mental health problem include:

• Poor performance at work or school
• Loss of or increase in sexual desire
• Sleep problems
• Feeling tired and lacking energy
• Losing interest in activities that you previously enjoyed
• Having mood swings that are quite extreme and out of character for you
• Self-harming behaviour
• A change in eating habits such as overeating, bingeing or not eating
• Increased anxiety, looking or feeling agitated or jumpy, sometimes including panic attacks
• Hearing and seeing things that others don't see
• Isolating yourself and spending too much time in bed
• Wanting to go out more often, feeling highly energetic, creative and sociable, making new friends rapidly, trusting strangers excessively and needing very little sleep; this may signal that you are becoming "high"
• Differences in perception, for instance, mistakenly thinking or believing that someone is trying to harm you, is laughing at you or trying to take over your body

The signs mentioned above can vary in severity. If they are distressing or continue for more than a short while, please seek help from a mental health professional!