From childhood to adolescence and adulthood, mental health plays an important role in everyone's overall state of health.
Knowing the warning signs of mental illness isn't always easy, so we created a guide on the most common signs of mental illness in children, adolescents, and adults.
About Mental Illness
Millions of people live with various types of mental illness and health problems.
Most mental illness start to develop by age 14. However, at least 75 percent of major mental health conditions develop by mid-20s, according to Nami.org.
Some mental health conditions may be chronic, while others vary from each day.
Mental illness affects everything from emotional and social well-being, in addition to psychological health. It also takes a toll on how people handle stress and makes it more challenging to relate to others, even friends and family members.
Mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia just don't happen overnight. Children, adolescents, and adults will notice different changes in terms of the way they think, feel, or behave over time. People will usually feel like something is just not right.
What Causes Mental Illness?
When it comes to mental illnesses, there's not a specific cause, as everyone's experience in life is different.
Recent studies have found that childhood abuse has been linked to many psychological symptoms, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Other factors are mental, physical, and sexual abuse, as well as chronic medical conditions and struggling with feelings of isolation, according to GoodTherapy.org.
Warning Signs Of Mental Illness
Symptoms can vary from each person. However, most mental illnesses come with social anxiety and withdrawal, problems concentrating at work or school, and feeling disconnected from friends and family members.
Other signs and symptoms are strange behavior, dramatic changes in sleep or appetite, and mood changes. From time to time, people will experience most of these symptoms on this list. Though medical professionals suggest that once someone feels multiple symptoms, that's when they should seek help, according to Psychiatry.org.
Someone To Talk To
When people go through a life crisis, they may be struggling to ask for help from friends and family members. Luckily, there's a large selection of resources such as National Alliance On Mental Illness, Teen and Youth Hotline, and Child Abuse Hotline that offer support for anyone who needs help.
