Mental health warning signs

Mental health warning signs in adults

If you or someone you know exhibits any of these warning signs, it could signal a mental health disorder. If any of these sound familiar, reach out to Your Life Iowa for free, confidential support before it goes too far.

• Long-lasting sadness, irritability or anger
• Withdrawing from social activities
• Dramatic changes in sleeping or eating
• Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria
• Feeling excessive fear, worry or anxiety
• Confused thinking, or problems concentrating and learning
• Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
• 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
• Overuse 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

Mental health warning signs in children & adolescents

Your child's mental health impacts their success at school, home and with friends. Mental health symptoms can begin in childhood, but may develop during the teen years. 

Sometimes, children lack the ability to express how they're feeling mentally. This can make it harder to identify a mental health concern. Your child may complain of stomach aches or headaches, feeling tired or having low energy. Ups and downs are normal, but it's important to pay attention to their symptoms. 

Mental health impact all parts of your child's life. This can include school, work, family and friends. Unmanaged mental health problems can cause:

• Poor academic performance, missed days of school
• Withdrawing from social activities or friends, loss of friends or problems with friends
• Excessive worry or anxiety; for instance, fighting to avoid bed or school
• Inability to maintain employment, missed days of work
• Feelings of irritability, anger, sadness or other negative emotions
• Changes in sleeping patterns
• Changes in eating patterns, weight loss or weight gain
• Drinking, vaping or using drugs
• Harming themselves
• Thoughts of suicide or suicide attempt(s)
• Saying they hear things others cannot
• Hyperactive behavior
• Outbursts or aggression

Warning signs in young children

• Throwing constant tantrums or always irritable
• Intense worries or fears
• Can't seem to sit still and/or be quiet, always moving around
• Declining grades
• Frequent nightmares
• Changes in sleeping patterns
• Difficulty making friends, not playing with other children
• Frequent headaches and stomach aches
• Weight loss or changes in eating habits
• Harmful and out of control behavior

Warning signs in adolescents

• Engaging in risky behavior
• Experiencing thoughts of suicide
• Losing interest in activities they before enjoyed
• Fatigue and low energy
• Self isolating, spending less time with friends and family

There are many ways to get your child the mental health support they might need. Reach out to Your LIfe Iowa if you think you child may be experiencing a problem with their mental health