Mental Health Warning Signs and When to Ask for Help
The signs and symptoms of mental health concerns can vary widely in severity and frequency from person to person. That’s why it’s not always easy to determine whether what you’re feeling is something situational that may pass on its own or something persistent that may require professional help.
It’s important to know that mental health concerns don’t need to be serious for you to reach out for support. Whatever you’re going through, your feelings and experiences are valid and you deserve support. But if you’re concerned about what you’re noticing about your mood or behavior, there are warning signs to watch out for — and effective ways to seek help for whatever signs you’re seeing.
How to Tell the Difference Between Mild and Serious Mental Health Challenges
Let’s say you have an important exam coming up. It’s normal to feel some stress or anxiety before the exam, but it would be concerning if your anxiety is so severe that you skip school to avoid taking the exam. That would signal a disruption to your everyday routine, and it could cause concrete negative consequences in your life or well-being. Anxiety so severe that it leads to physical symptoms such as panic attacks would also be a reason to seek support.
Mental health professionals typically measure a mental health issue by what impact it has on a person’s everyday life and by the circumstances that led to the issue. Normal emotions are often less persistent and less disruptive to a person’s everyday life, while mental health disorders can negatively impact a person’s relationships or performance at work or school.
It’s also important to take into account the context around a mental health challenge. It’s normal to feel sadness or grief after the death of a loved one, feel angry after a breakup, or feel anxious about starting a new job. In those situations, it can be helpful to talk to a therapist or counselor about how you’re feeling — but it may not be considered a mental health disorder unless it negatively impacts your everyday life.
What are the Warning Signs of a Serious Mental Health Challenge?
Mental health challenges can look different depending on the person and the type of difficulty, but there are some common signs to look out for.
Thoughts, Emotions, and Experiences
- Feeling sad or down for long periods of time without a specific reason for the feeling, such as the loss of a loved one
- Noticeable mood changes, from euphoria or irritability to deep sadness or depression
- Feeling empty or apathetic about aspects of life
- Eating or sleeping much more than usual
- Feeling like you’ve lost time or have large gaps in memory
- Feeling hopeless or trapped
- Feeling like you’re a burden to other people
- Suicidal thoughts
- Experiencing delusions, paranoid thoughts, or beliefs in things that aren’t real
- Experiencing hallucinations, or sensory experiences that feel real but are not, such as hearing voices that no one else can hear or feeling things crawling on your skin
Behavioral Changes
- Engaging in self-injurious behaviors, such as cutting
- Withdrawing from friends or family members
- Not being interested in activities or hobbies you once enjoyed
- Outbursts of anger, hostility, or violence
- Not taking care of yourself or your hygiene, such as not showering, brushing your teeth, or changing clothes regularly
- Using substances or alcohol more than usual
- Noticeable changes in eating behaviors, such as restricting your eating or binge eating
- Disturbed sleeping patterns — sleeping either too much or too little
Physical Changes
- Sudden sweating, nausea, increased heart rate, or trouble breathing, along with intense worry or fear
- Feeling fatigued regardless of how much sleep you get
- Noticeable changes in sex drive or sexual activity, including losing interest in sex or engaging in risky sexual behavior
If you or someone you love are struggling with one or more of these symptoms, consider reaching out to a mental health professional for support. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, seek help immediately: Text, call, or chat 988 for a free confidential conversation with a trained counselor 24/7, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.
When to Seek Help for a Mental Health Challenge
If you notice any of these changes in your own (or others’) moods or behaviors, there are questions you can ask to gauge how much the changes are affecting your life.
Changes in Thoughts and Behavior
- Do I ever feel disconnected from reality or hear, see, or feel things that others do not?
- Am I forgetting important events or tasks, or do I feel like I’ve lost time?
- Have I thought about harming myself as a way to cope with how I’m feeling?
Changes at Work or School
- Am I missing school, avoiding certain classes, struggling in school, or missing out on extracurricular activities?
- Am I constantly thinking or worrying about what’s going on at school, even when I’m not there?
- Am I missing work, avoiding certain tasks, or struggling to complete or understand a task?
- Am I constantly thinking or worrying about what’s going on at work — or my performance at work — even when I’m not there?
Changes in Relationships
- Am I fighting with my parents or family members more often than usual?
- Am I fighting with my friends or partners more than usual?
- Do I ever feel like others are out to get me or purposely hurt me?
- Has a parent, friend, teacher, or other person checked in on me, asked about my mental health, or expressed concern about changes they’ve noticed in my behavior?
Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors
- Have I had suicidal thoughts, such as thinking I want to die, I want to kill myself, or my family would be better off if I died?
- Am I planning who will get my belongings and how to say goodbye to loved ones?
- Am I feeling hopeless, trapped, or like I am a burden?
How to Seek Help for a Mental Health Challenge
If you notice these changes in your behavior or the behavior of a loved one — especially if you answered yes to some of the questions above — it’s important to reach out for support as soon as possible. The longer someone goes without treatment, the more serious their symptoms may become — and untreated symptoms can have serious consequences to your health.
The first step in getting help is to talk to an adult you trust, such as a parent, caregiver, teacher, guidance counselor, or doctor. A trusted adult can help you find the mental health resources you need, such as a counselor or therapist.
Let your friends know what you’ve been experiencing, and ask for their support. Friends are not a substitute for help from a mental health professional, but they can support you in other ways, such as by creating a safe space for sharing your feelings, holding you accountable to your treatment goals, and comforting you when you get overwhelmed.
If you are having suicidal thoughts or engaging in suicidal behavior, seek help immediately: Text, call, or chat 988 for a free confidential conversation with a trained counselor 24/7, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.
How to Help a Friend Find Mental Health Support
Friends can be a very important part of our mental health support network. Often our friends are the first to notice when something’s wrong, because they know us so well. If you are concerned about changes in a friend’s mood or behavior, here are some ways you can help.
- Start the conversation. Tell them what you’ve noticed and express your concern. It’s important to stay calm and nonjudgmental. Use “I” statements, such as, “I’ve noticed you’ve been skipping class lately. Is everything OK?” Or, “I saw what you posted last night. Do you want to talk about it?”
- Encourage them to seek help from a parent, caregiver, therapist, doctor, or guidance counselor. If you’re able to, offer to help them find a therapist or reach out on their behalf to a trusted adult.
- If your friend is feeling suicidal or engaging in self-injury, do not keep it a secret. They may feel like they need to keep it a secret out of shame or fear, but that will prevent them from getting the help they need. If they tell you, let them know you need to tell a trusted adult for their own safety, even if they get mad at you for doing so. Encourage them to tell someone themselves.
- Remember to take care of yourself. Sometimes taking care of others can take a toll on our own mental health. Offer to support a struggling friend in the ways you feel able to, and remember to have your own mental health support in place — whether it’s a therapist, self-care, or other healthy method of coping.
If you or someone you know needs to talk to someone right now, text, call, or chat 988 for a free confidential conversation with a trained counselor 24/7. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741. If this is a medical emergency or if there is immediate danger of harm, call 911 and explain that you need support for a mental health crisis.
Find more tips and tools about caring for your mental health at The Jed Foundation’s Mental Health Resource Center.
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