Mental Health: Warning Signs

Symptoms of mental disorders vary depending on the type and severity of the condition. Some general symptoms that may suggest a mental disorder include:

In adults

• Confused thinking
• Long-lasting sadness or irritability
• Extreme highs and lows in mood
• Excessive fear, worrying or anxiety
• Social withdrawal
• Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits
• Strong feelings of anger
• Delusions or hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not really there)
• Increasing inability to cope with daily problems and activities
• Thoughts of suicide
• Denial of obvious problems
• Many unexplained physical problems
• Abuse of drugs and/or alcohol

In older children and pre-teens

• Abuse of drugs and/or alcohol
• Inability to cope with daily problems and activities
• Changes in sleeping and/or eating habits
• Excessive complaints of physical problems
• Defying authority, skipping school, stealing or damaging property
• Intense fear of gaining weight
• Long-lasting negative mood, often along with poor appetite and thoughts of death
• Frequent outbursts of anger

In younger children

• Changes in school performance
• Poor grades despite strong efforts
• Excessive worrying or anxiety
• Hyperactivity
• Persistent nightmares
• Persistent disobedience and/or aggressive behavior
• Frequent temper tantrums

Reviewed by the doctors at The Cleveland Clinic Department of Psychiatry and Psychology.