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The best time to see a therapist for your mental health should be as early as possible. For instance, If you're worrying more than usual, you find it hard to enjoy your life like you use to, your thoughts and feelings are becoming difficult to cope with thus having an impact your day-to-day life. It is important to note that anyone can have these issues with their mental health at some point in their lives. With any issues concerning mental health early detection is always the key to better recovery and/or healing.
Stigma Associated to Mental Health
Mental health is just as important and your physical health! right? So why is it that it seems to get the least of our attention when it comes to taking care of ourselves. The stigma of mental illness is still very much alive and a lot people are ashamed of seeking help because they believe they will be judged and this is the sad truth but it should not prevent you from seeking the help you need to live a better life. People who judge others with mental illness are either ignorant about mental illness or uneducated about it. And the media should take some blame in the inaccurate way they portray mental illness to the public and this creates a whole heap of issues for people who have mental health issues and want help but are afraid how others may see them.
I think it's very important that we know the early warning signs of mental health issues. What I have noticed over the years is that people wait too long to seek help and the recovery and healing process takes longer and gets even more difficult to handle or it may even get worst.
Mental illness can cause an affected individual’s life to spiral out of control. This is because mental illness affects your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and general interactions with the world and oneself. When things feel off or especially challenging in the areas of thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and interactions with others, it is time to consider these early signs of mental illness to take charge of the situation and reverse it before it gets worse. For mental health issues seek the help of a mental health professional, clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist. For day-to-day stresses and hassles one can visit a counseling psychologist for counseling etc.
Individuals suffering from similar mental illnesses will most likely display similar thought, emotion, and behavioral patterns. These patterns do not start off as severe, they gradually become severe over time. In every instance there are signs, and hints that will indicate that something is not right. Symptoms are felt by the individual and others may not observe these changes in the beginning. The signs however maybe observable by others, for example, a loved one family members or friends.
Early warning signs of mental health issues may indicate the presence of mental illness but please note that these signs alone do not necessarily mean a diagnosis of mental illness. Everyone has experiences in their lives and may have similar symptoms. So do they indicate a true mental illness? This will be based on whether it originates from the individual and if they exhibit these signs on a continuous basis.
Early Warning Signs Of Mental Illness
You don't need to have all the symptoms listed below to know that there could be something clinical wrong and not everyone shares the exact same warning signs as others. Some possible early warning signs of mental illness that you might notice in yourself or a loved one include:
a marked change in one's sense of self, a feeling a change in who you are, that manifests through displayed emotions and behaviors
psychosomatic troubles; often, people seek help for one or more physical problems (headaches, digestive problems, significant aches and pains, for example) that don't go away yet can't be pinpointed by doctors and the tests they order
confusion or disorientation, fogginess; again that others can spot
difficulty concentrating, learning, and staying on task; you can't accomplish things or get things done like you used to
inability to carry out daily activities
difficulty handling stress
avoiding friends and social activities
increased irritability
changes in sleep patterns (considerably more or less than usual)
changes in eating habits accompanied by significant weight loss or gain
substance use to mask problems (self-medicating)
suicidal thoughts (noticeable to others through ambiguous statements about not being able to go on, saying that people would be better off without them, giving away possessions, etc.)
problems and struggles that worsen rather than get better
a vague sense of shutting down that shows itself through withdrawal from activities, relationships, work, school, and life in general
SEEKING HELP
Seeking help is the first step toward getting and staying well. As we all may know it can be hard to know how to start and who or where to turn. It’s common to feel unsure, and wonder whether you should try to deal with things on your own. Don’t ever think it’s not ok to ask for help to get the treatment you need. Even if you are unsure of what you are experiencing a particular mental health issue.
My advice to anyone when experiencing these signs or symptoms is to seek help as early as possible, early detection is key. Speak with your GP or a mental health professional. If you’re a minor you can speak with your parents, if going to your parents isn’t an option, speak with a trusted adult. You can also speak to a school guidance counselor and he/she would guide you accordingly.
Any questions queries or concerns with regards to mental illness, please feel free to leave a comment or DM me..
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