Although many people believe that mental illness is rare, it really isn't. Every year, about 54 million Americans experience a mental health problem or illness. Mental disorders affect 1 in 4 people worldwide at some point in their lives. Many of these diseases can be treated with drugs, psychotherapy, but if left unattended, they can easily spiral out of control. If you think you may be experiencing signs of a mental disorder, seek help from a qualified professional as soon as possible.

Steps

Part 1

Realize that mental illness is not your fault. Society often condemns mental illness and those who suffer from it, and it is easy to believe that the cause of your problem is that you are worthless or do not put in enough effort. It is not true. If you have a mental illness, it is the result of a medical condition, not personal failure or anything else. An experienced primary care physician or mental health professional should never make you feel like you are to blame for your illness. It is not the fault of others, nor you yourself.

Consider possible biological risk factors. There is no single cause of mental illness, but there are many biological factors known to interfere with brain chemistry and contribute to hormonal imbalances.

• genetic predisposition. Some mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, are deeply linked to genetics. If someone in your family has been diagnosed with mental illness, then you may be more likely to develop one, simply due to your genetic make-up.
• Physiological disorder. Injuries, such as severe head trauma, or exposure to viruses, bacteria, or toxins during fetal development, lead to mental illness. Also, illicit drug and/or alcohol abuse can cause or exacerbate mental illness.
• Chronic diseases. Chronic illnesses such as cancer or other long-term illnesses increase the risk of developing mental disorders such as anxiety and depression.

1. Understanding possible environmental risk factors. Some mental illnesses, such as anxiety and depression, are directly related to your personal environment and sense of well-being. Shock and lack of stability can cause or exacerbate mental illness.

   • Difficult life experiences. Extremely emotional and exciting life situations can cause mental illness in a person. They may focus on the moment, such as the loss of a loved one, or linger on, such as a history of sexual or physical abuse. Participation in combat operations or as part of an emergency brigade can also contribute to the development of mental illness.
   • Stress. Stress can exacerbate an existing mental disorder and lead to mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety. Family quarrels, financial difficulties, and problems at work can all be a source of stress.
   • Loneliness. The lack of reliable connections for support, a sufficient number of friends, and a lack of healthy communication contribute to the onset or exacerbation of a mental disorder.

2. How to identify warning signs and symptoms. Some mental illnesses start at birth, but others appear over time or come on quite suddenly. The following are symptoms that may be warning signs of mental illness:

   • Feeling sad or irritable
   • Confusion or disorientation
   • Feeling apathy or lack of interest
   • Increased anxiety and anger/hostility/violence
   • Feelings of fear/paranoia
   • Inability to control emotions
   • Difficulties with concentration
   • Difficulties in taking responsibility
   • Reclusion or social exclusion
   • Sleep problems
   • Illusions and/or hallucinations
   • Strange, grandiloquent or far from reality ideas
   • Alcohol or drug abuse
   • Significant changes in eating habits or sex drive
   • Thoughts or plans of suicide

3. Identify physical warning signs and symptoms. Sometimes physical signs can serve as warning signs of a mental illness. If you have symptoms that do not go away, seek medical attention. Warning symptoms include:

   • Fatigue
   • Back and/or chest pain
   • Cardiopalmus
   • Dry mouth
   • Digestive problems
   • Headache
   • excessive sweating
   • Significant changes in body weight
   • Dizziness
   • Serious sleep disorders

4. Determine how severe your symptoms are. Many of these symptoms appear in response to everyday events and therefore do not necessarily indicate that you are mentally ill. You should have reason to be concerned if they persist and, more importantly, if they negatively impact your day-to-day functioning. Never be afraid to seek medical help.

   Make friends for support. It is important for everyone, especially those who deal with mental illness, to have acquaintances who accept and support them. For starters, it could be friends and family. In addition, there are many support groups. Find a support group in your area or online.

   Consider meditation or cultivating self-awareness. While meditation is not a substitute for professional help and/or medication, it can help manage symptoms of certain mental illnesses, especially those associated with addiction, drug use, or anxiety. Mindfulness and meditation emphasize the importance of acceptance and presence, which helps relieve stress.

   Keep a diary. Keeping a diary of your thoughts and experiences can help you in many ways. By writing down negative thoughts or worries, you can stop focusing on them. Keeping track of the causes of certain feelings or symptoms will help your primary psychiatrist provide you with optimal treatment. It also allows you to explore your emotions in a safe way.

5. Maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen. While diet and exercise cannot prevent mental illness, it can help control your symptoms. In the case of severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, it is especially important to maintain a consistent regimen and get enough sleep.

   • If you suffer from an eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating, then you may need to be extra careful with your diet and exercise regimen. Consult with a specialist to make sure you are following a healthy diet.

Speaking about the presence of certain psychological deviations in a person, we mean that there is some kind of opposite state, which is the norm. But it is quite difficult to clearly define what it is.

After all, there is no specific concept of psychological deviations or psychological health of a person. There is nothing unusual or strange about this. Such a concept directly depends on a large number of factors, which, as a rule, are subjective.

Defining "normal" personality

First of all, it is necessary to answer the question of what factors have a significant impact on the very understanding of the norm in psychology. There are only two of them. Among these factors is the personality itself, as well as the society in which the person lives. Let's consider them in more detail.

Social stereotypes

Those or other psychological deviations of the personality become obvious if we consider the behavior of a person from the side of society. After all, there are certain social stereotypes in it. They define the line that exists between the abnormal and normal behavior of the individual.

However, there are many nuances to be found here. As in every specific segment that is part of society, the norm of behavior can have significant deviations. For example, for those who live in the Russian outback, it is quite natural to know not only by sight, but also by name, all the neighbors in the house. The situation is quite different in large cities. Here it is not necessary and even simply not customary to say hello to a neighbor on the porch.

Thus, the social stereotype is the most common view of a particular group of people. They decide what should be the behavior of a member of the specified group or someone who is not part of it. Often such views extend both to the external manifestations of a person's behavior and to his psychological state in a given situation.

personality factor

Each person also has his own attitude to the reaction that he shows to specific life events. Such a factor is a personal stereotype, expressed in the individual's idea of ​​how he should behave in a certain situation and what he should feel in this case.

For example, if a person, seeing the suffering of another, begins to experience pleasure, and at the same time he does not have a desire to help, then this person himself can be perceived as a deviation from the norm. In this case, there may be disappointment. A person believes that he is bad, and should be different. This situation can be explained by stereotypes that prescribe not only correct behavior, but also sensations. Thus, if the question relates to a certain person, then the basis for understanding psychological deviations from the norm and the norm itself lies in the expectation of a certain type of behavior. Everything that meets such expectations is regarded by the individual as the norm, and what is not - as a deviation from it.

If we consider this issue from the point of view of society, then everything happens in a similar way. The only difference is that the judge in this case is society, not an individual.

Criteria for determining the psychological norm

When considering the foregoing, it becomes clear that personality deviations are revealed both from the point of view of society and from the position of the person himself. However, in both cases, the most important sign of non-conformity to the norm is the disappointment that arises from non-compliance with expectations. It is the discomfort resulting from the conflict between reality and social expectations that is considered the factor that delimits the norm from what psychologists call a personality disorder.

Origins of the problem

In psychology, personality disorder is considered in two aspects. One of them is the social interaction of the individual with society. What is meant by this concept? These are the features of the behavior of a particular person that lead to social problems or psychological discomfort. The second aspect is the deviation from the norm of the personality itself. Similar features of human behavior also lead to problems and psychological discomfort. However, in this case, the individual suffers the most.

Of course, the concepts of "discomfort" and "problem" in this case have fairly wide boundaries. Thus, an individual may experience a state of either mild anxiety or severe depression. From the point of view of society, everything looks completely different. For him, the problem is seen as a real threat in the case of an openly criminal behavior of the individual, or in the form of those small problems that are presented in the form of inappropriate behavior. In both cases, psychological deviations in a person are certainly expressed in the personal characteristics of himself.

Causes of disorders

As a rule, psychological deviations of a personality are manifested in its cognitive or mental activity. They are also visible in the sphere of perception of the surrounding world and in the emotional reaction to relationships with others.

Psychological deviations of the personality may be congenital. In this case, their manifestation occurs in a person throughout his life. Certain socio-psychological deviations are formed in certain periods of growing up of the individual. This may be, for example, early or adolescence. Deviations in the psychological characteristics of a person cause a variety of reasons. They are considered starting from pathologies of the brain and ending with those caused by the strongest stressful experiences, such as, for example, psychological or physical violence.

According to statistics, in its mild form, personality deviations are detected in approximately 10% of adults. It should be borne in mind that such a problem requires the attention of a specialist.

Risk factors for personality pathologies

Psychological deviations carry many problems. One of the most common of these is psychological discomfort. In turn, it can be expressed in various degrees and cause negative consequences. Moreover, the emerging problems are both internal and behavioral. Among them, one can note an increased tendency to suicide, as well as to the formation of alcohol and drug addiction, antisocial, and sometimes even criminal behavior. Often, psychological problems cause severe depression, and sometimes they provoke specific mental pathologies, such as, for example, schizophrenia or obsessive-compulsive disorder. And, of course, such people create a lot of problems both for themselves and others.

Signs of personality deviations

What are the symptoms of a person's inconsistency with the psychological norm? First of all, this refers to the behavior of the individual, which is inadequate, if we consider it from the point of view of the problem that has arisen. The main reason for this symptom lies in the fact that a person does not seek to solve the issue that concerns him. Sometimes it eliminates the problem only partially, and sometimes exacerbates it. This feature causes difficulties in the communication of the individual, not only in society, but also in the family. Often such a person is not even aware of his reactions to the situation or behavior in it. In this regard, he never seeks to visit a psychologist, although he is dissatisfied with his life, and he often has problems in various social situations.

Not everything is in order with such people and in what relates to their inner world. This is expressed in symptoms such as mood swings, increased anxiety and anxiety, and depression.

The main symptoms of a personality disorder include:

• the constant presence of such negative feelings as anxiety and threat, awareness of one's own uselessness and worthlessness, as well as easily arising anger;
• negative emotions and control problems;
• constant emotional emptiness and avoidance of contact with people;
• difficulties in communicating with loved ones, especially with a spouse, as well as with children;
• persistent problems with the environment due to the inability to control negative feelings and aggressive behavior;
• partial, and sometimes complete loss of contact with the surrounding reality.

All of the above symptoms tend to get worse. Most often this happens against the backdrop of emerging stressful situations.

Types of psychological disorders

According to the international classifier, all personality deviations are divided into 3 main groups. Among them:

• Group A. It includes eccentric pathologies. These are disorders such as schizoid, schizotypal, and also paranoid.
• Group B. These deviations include theatrical, emotional sensations. These include disorders - narcissistic and hysterical, antisocial and borderline.
• Group C. It includes panic and anxiety deviations in the form of avoidant and obsessive-impulsive disorders.

The pathologies described above can be detected in one person. But, as a rule, there is always one disorder that is most pronounced. It is according to him that the type of pathological deviation of the personality is determined.

Psychological disorders in a child

Parents should always remember that they are responsible not only for the physical health of their child. The psychological component also plays an important role in the development of the baby. It will have a huge impact on the formation of his worldview. In addition, psychological health will be the basis of the behavior and actions of a small person. It will largely depend on him whether the baby, having matured, will benefit society or, on the contrary, become a socially dangerous person for him.

Today, science knows for certain that the mind of a baby, like a sponge, absorbs every word and all the actions of people close to him. This happens up to 5 years of age. The baby's picture of the world around him is formed on the basis of his usual communication styles, role models, the financial condition of the family and the problems of parents, violence, betrayal and betrayal that take place. All the negative moments in the future can painfully backfire on an already grown up person in the future.

For example, if up to a year of life, a mother often ignored her child, did not respond to his tears and fed when she liked, then the baby begins to reject the sensual sphere. In his mind, the futility of emotions is fixed, which he subsequently throws out as unnecessary.

In the same way, the deformation of the child's psyche occurs. In the event that at the age of 4-5 he is subjected to physical or sexual violence, then his still unformed consciousness begins to perceive what is happening as the norm. Moreover, he learns to imitate it. This is how psychopaths are born. But, by and large, they are simply giving back to the world what it has given them.

Manifestations of personality disorders at an early age

There are seven dangerous signs of psychological abnormalities in a child. Some of them were identified by J. MacDonald, a well-known psychiatrist who devoted his life to studying the behavior of criminals. This researcher even came up with a certain formula that adults in most cases simply ignore. But if at least three of the following dangerous signs of psychological abnormalities in a child are identified by the parents, then the baby should be taken for a consultation with a psychiatrist. Otherwise, in the future, most likely, you will have to reap negative benefits.

Psychological abnormalities in children can manifest themselves:

• zoosadism. This is the first and most striking sign of a deviation in the psychological development of the child. It is expressed in the fact that a small person tortures and kills animals. This does not include haircutting a cat, touching up its fur or pulling its tail, because this is how most children learn the world. Zoosadism is a rather serious phenomenon. It is a displacement of the internal aggression in the child, and in a cruel form. Often such psychological deviations are manifested in adolescents.
• Understanding complex emotions. Psychological deviations in the development of the child are difficulties that do not allow him to understand such higher emotions as pity, sympathy, empathy and love. These children are emotionally unstable. Most often, they simply play the role in which others want to see them. However, they don't experience anything. Such children are cold to the suffering of people and are not able to describe their own emotions. Feelings without reflection allow you to turn a child into a good manipulator.
• Constant lies. There are children who lie out of fear of their parents' wrath, their father's belt, or any other punishment. In this case, lying is a natural defensive reaction of the psyche. But if the baby tells fairy tales without any specific goal, then this is a rather dangerous symptom. Sometimes such children even fall into hysterics, frightening others even more.
• enuresis. Of course, not every preschooler who suffers from this disease will become a criminal element in the future. However, J. Macdonald deduced a certain pattern. According to her, more than 76% of criminals in the early years of their lives suffered from enuresis, from which they experienced constant humiliation from their peers and endured their ridicule, as well as bullying and beatings from their parents. Thus, the aggression of society forced these people to throw out a sense of inner inferiority on innocent victims.
• deviant behavior. Of course, many children skip classes and do not keep promises. This does not indicate a psychological deviation in the development of the child. You should look at this problem in a completely different way if this happens quite often and is accompanied by deliberately defiant aggression, selfishness and disobedience on the part of a schoolchild or teenager. Such children often run away from home, wander, try drugs, steal other people's things. But the worst thing is that all this gives them pleasure. They do not seek to attract the attention of others. They love this lifestyle. And this is a serious cause for concern.
• Pyromania. Another sign of a psychological disorder in a child may be his desire to constantly set fires, subsequently watching the fires. This gives him real pleasure. Such a child is not able to resist the impulses and realize the consequences of the crimes that he has committed. Playing with fire allows children to release their inner rage as well as compensate for their social and physical humiliation with the pain of others.
• Harass the weak. A psychological study of children with developmental disabilities made it possible to state that they already at an early age are engaged in emotional pressure of their peers, do not shun physical violence, humiliation and persecution. Thus, the child copies the behavior of the elders. It is important for parents not to confuse such signs with domestic hooliganism. In this case, the child becomes a bully in order to attract the attention of adults or imitate the behavior of a bad hero.

Diagnosis of personality disorders

The psychological examination of children with developmental disabilities has a specific goal. It consists in identifying the very structure of existing violations, which will determine the best ways to provide corrective assistance to the child.

Psychological examination of children with developmental disabilities is carried out in several stages. At the first of them, the psychologist studies the documentation and collects information about the child. The necessary data become available to the specialist after a survey of parents and teachers. By the beginning of the developmental deviations of children, you will need to have information of a clinical, social and pedagogical nature. Only in this case, the specialist will correctly determine the objectives of the study and prepare all the necessary tools.

Psychological examination is carried out in a calm environment. For this, a separate room is suitable, in which there is a small number of items. This will allow the child not to distract his attention.

The survey usually starts with the easiest tasks. At the same time, it is important for the psychologist to behave kindly and calmly, carefully observing his patient. If the child made a mistake, then an adult needs to provide him with the help provided for by the task.

The psychologist records the results of observations in the protocol. It records the time for completing tasks, types of errors and assistance provided to the child. During the examination, the presence of the mother is desirable. This is especially important in cases where a small patient insists on it.

Based on the results of the examination, the specialist prepares a conclusion. In it, the psychologist includes his conclusions about the level of development and features of the child's speech, his cognitive activity, as well as the emotional-volitional sphere. Here, the question of the nature of the corrective assistance that a small patient needs should also be resolved.

Sometimes it seems that a loved one has gone crazy.

Or starts to go. How to determine that "the roof has gone" and it didn't seem to you?

In this article, you will learn about the 10 main symptoms of mental disorders.

There is a joke among the people: "There are no mentally healthy people, there are underexamined." This means that individual signs of mental disorders can be found in the behavior of any person, and the main thing is not to fall into a manic search for the corresponding symptoms in others.

And it's not even that a person can become a danger to society or himself. Some mental disorders occur as a result of organic damage to the brain, which requires immediate treatment. Delay can cost a person not only mental health, but also life.

Some symptoms, on the contrary, are sometimes regarded by others as manifestations of bad character, promiscuity or laziness, while in fact they are manifestations of the disease.

In particular, depression is not considered by many to be a disease requiring serious treatment. "Pull yourself together! Stop whining! You're weak, you should be ashamed! Stop delving into yourself and everything will pass!” - this is how relatives and friends exhort the patient. And he needs the help of a specialist and long-term treatment, otherwise he will not get out.

The onset of senile dementia or early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can also be mistaken for age-related decline in intelligence or a bad temper, but in fact it's time to start looking for a nurse to look after the sick.

How to determine whether it is worth worrying about a relative, colleague, friend?

Signs of a mental disorder

This condition can accompany any mental disorder and many of the somatic diseases. Asthenia is expressed in weakness, low efficiency, mood swings, hypersensitivity. A person easily begins to cry, instantly irritated and loses self-control. Often, asthenia is accompanied by sleep disturbances.

obsessive states

A wide range of obsessions includes many manifestations: from constant doubts, fears that a person is not able to cope with, to an irresistible desire for cleanliness or certain actions.

Under the power of an obsessive state, a person can return home several times to check whether he turned off the iron, gas, water, whether he closed the door with a key. An obsessive fear of an accident may force the patient to perform some rituals that, according to the sufferer, can avert trouble. If you notice that your friend or relative washes his hands for hours, has become overly squeamish and is always afraid of getting infected with something - this is also an obsession. The desire not to step on cracks in the pavement, tile joints, avoidance of certain types of transport or people in clothes of a certain color or type is also an obsessive state.

Mood changes

Longing, depression, the desire for self-accusation, talk about one's own worthlessness or sinfulness, about death can also be symptoms of the disease. Pay attention to other manifestations of inadequacy:

• Unnatural frivolity, carelessness.
• Folly, not characteristic of age and character.
• Euphoric state, optimism, which has no basis.
• Fussiness, talkativeness, inability to concentrate, confused thinking.
• Heightened self-esteem.
• Projection.
• Strengthening of sexuality, extinction of natural modesty, inability to restrain sexual desires.

You have cause for concern if your loved one begins to complain about the appearance of unusual sensations in the body. They can be extremely unpleasant or just annoying. These are sensations of squeezing, burning, stirring “something inside”, “rustling in the head”. Sometimes such sensations can be the result of very real somatic diseases, but often senestopathies indicate the presence of a hypochondriacal syndrome.

Hypochondria

It is expressed in a manic concern about the state of one's own health. Examinations and test results may indicate the absence of diseases, but the patient does not believe and requires more and more examinations and serious treatment. A person speaks almost exclusively about his well-being, does not get out of clinics and demands to be treated as if he were a patient. Hypochondria often goes hand in hand with depression.

Illusions

Do not confuse illusions and hallucinations. Illusions make a person perceive real objects and phenomena in a distorted form, while with hallucinations a person feels something that does not really exist.

Examples of illusions:

• the pattern on the wallpaper seems to be a plexus of snakes or worms;
• the dimensions of objects are perceived in a distorted form;
• the sound of raindrops on the windowsill seems to be the cautious steps of someone terrible;
• the shadows of the trees turn into terrible creatures crawling up with frightening intentions, etc.

If outsiders may not be aware of the presence of illusions, then the susceptibility to hallucinations may manifest itself more noticeably.

Hallucinations can affect all the senses, that is, they can be visual and auditory, tactile and gustatory, olfactory and general, and also be combined in any combination. To the patient, everything he sees, hears and feels seems completely real. He may not believe that others do not feel, hear, or see all this. He can perceive their bewilderment as a conspiracy, deceit, mockery, and get annoyed at the fact that they do not understand him.

With auditory hallucinations, a person hears all sorts of noise, snippets of words, or coherent phrases. "Voices" can give commands or comment on every action of the patient, laugh at him or discuss his thoughts.

Taste and olfactory hallucinations often cause a sensation of an unpleasant quality: a disgusting taste or smell.

With tactile hallucinations, it seems to the patient that someone is biting, touching, strangling him, that insects are crawling over him, that certain creatures are being introduced into his body and moving there or eating the body from the inside.

Outwardly, susceptibility to hallucinations is expressed in conversations with an invisible interlocutor, sudden laughter or constant intense listening to something. The patient may shake something off himself all the time, scream, examine himself with a preoccupied look, or ask others if they see something on his body or in the surrounding space.

Rave

Delusional states often accompany psychoses. Delusions are based on erroneous judgments, and the patient stubbornly maintains his false conviction, even if there are obvious contradictions with reality. Crazy ideas acquire supervalue, significance that determines all behavior.

Delusional disorders can be expressed in an erotic form, or in the belief in one's great mission, in the origin of a noble family or aliens. It may seem to the patient that someone is trying to kill or poison him, rob him or kidnap him. Sometimes the development of a delusional state is preceded by a feeling of unreality of the surrounding world or one's own personality.

Gathering or excessive generosity

Yes, any collector can be suspect. Especially in those cases when collecting becomes an obsession, subjugates the whole life of a person. This may be expressed in the desire to drag into the house things found in garbage dumps, accumulate food without paying attention to expiration dates, or pick up stray animals in numbers that exceed the ability to provide them with normal care and proper maintenance.

The desire to give away all your property, immoderate squandering can also be regarded as a suspicious symptom. Especially in the case when a person was not previously distinguished by generosity or altruism.

There are people who are unsociable and unsociable due to their nature. This is normal and should not raise suspicions of schizophrenia and other mental disorders. But if a born merry fellow, the soul of the company, a family man and a good friend suddenly begins to destroy social ties, becomes unsociable, shows coldness towards those who were dear to him until recently, this is a reason to worry about his mental health.

A person becomes sloppy, ceases to take care of himself, in society he can begin to behave shockingly - to commit acts that are considered indecent and unacceptable.

What to do?

It is very difficult to make the right decision in the case when there are suspicions of a mental disorder in someone close. Perhaps a person is just having a difficult period in his life, and his behavior has changed for this reason. Things will get better - and everything will return to normal.

But it may turn out that the symptoms you noticed are a manifestation of a serious disease that needs to be treated. In particular, oncological diseases of the brain in most cases lead to one or another mental disorder. Delay in starting treatment can be fatal in this case.

Other diseases need to be treated in time, but the patient himself may not notice the changes taking place with him, and only relatives will be able to influence the state of affairs.

However, there is another option: the tendency to see in everyone around you potential patients of a psychiatric clinic can also turn out to be a mental disorder. Before calling psychiatric emergency for a neighbor or relative, try to analyze your own condition. Suddenly you have to start with yourself? Remember the joke about the under-examined?

"In every joke there is a share of a joke" ©

All over the world suffer from one or another mental illness. According to other data, one in five people in the world has a mental or behavioral disorder.

In total, there are about 200 clinically diagnosed diseases, which can be roughly divided into five types: mood disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and psychotic disorders, eating disorders, dementia.

Depression is the most common mental illness. The World Health Organization estimates that by 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability worldwide after cardiovascular disease. Slightly less common are general anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anorexia, and eating inedible objects.

How to recognize the first signs of the disease

This is fine. But, as soon as emotions begin to spoil life, they become a problem that indicates a possible mental disorder.

Signs of mental illness are fairly easy to spot. When we feel so anxious that we can’t go to the store, call the phone, talk without panic attacks. When we are so sad that our appetite disappears, there is no desire to get out of bed, it is impossible to concentrate on the simplest tasks.

Simon Wessely, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Lecturer at King's College London

Too long looking at yourself in the mirror, an obsession with your appearance can also talk about health problems. An equally serious signal should be changes in appetite (both an increase and a decrease), sleep patterns, and indifference to an interesting pastime. All of these can indicate depression.

The voices in your head are signs of a much more serious problem. And, of course, not everyone who suffers from a mental illness hears them. Not everyone who is depressed will cry. Symptoms are always variable and may vary by age and gender. Some people may not notice changes in themselves. But, if the changes that speak of the disease are obvious to the people around, then you should contact a psychiatrist.

What causes mental illness

The causes of mental illness combine natural and social factors. However, some illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, may appear due to a genetic predisposition.

Mental illness occurs twice as often after natural disasters and catastrophes. It is also affected by changes in the life and physical health of a person. However, the exact causes of the disorder are currently unknown.

How to make a diagnosis

Of course, you can do self-diagnosis and look for descriptions of problems on the Internet. This can be useful, but such results should be trusted with great caution. It is best to contact a specialist for qualified assistance.

Medical diagnosis can take a very long time, maybe years. Diagnosis is the beginning, not the end. Each case proceeds individually.

How to be treated

The concept of "mental illness" has changed over time. Today, electrotherapy is banned, like many other forms of treatment, so patients are trying to help with drugs and psychotherapy. However, therapy is not a panacea, and medicines are most often insufficiently studied due to low funding and the impossibility of conducting mass studies. It is impossible to treat such diseases according to the template.

Is a cure possible?

Yes. People can fully recover from acute illness and learn to overcome chronic conditions. The diagnosis can change, and life can get better. After all, the main goal of treatment is to give a person the opportunity to live the life he wants.