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Understanding Mental Illness Symptoms

The document discusses mental illness, including that it can affect thoughts, mood, and behavior and cause distress, and that it can be short or long term. It also lists common types of mental illness like mood disorders and anxiety disorders, and symptoms to look out for include unusual thoughts, anger, poor concentration, and suicidal thoughts.

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thinkerich
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112 views3 pages

Understanding Mental Illness Symptoms

The document discusses mental illness, including that it can affect thoughts, mood, and behavior and cause distress, and that it can be short or long term. It also lists common types of mental illness like mood disorders and anxiety disorders, and symptoms to look out for include unusual thoughts, anger, poor concentration, and suicidal thoughts.

Uploaded by

thinkerich
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

What is mental illness?

A mental illness is a health issue. It can affect your thoughts, mood, or


behaviour. It can impact the way you perceive the world around you.

A mental illness can cause distress. It may affect how you cope at work, how you
function in relationships and your ability to manage everyday tasks.

Mental illnesses can last for a short time or for your whole life. Some mild
mental illness lasts only a few weeks. Sometimes severe illnesses can be life-long
and cause serious disability.

Each year, about 1 in every 5 Australians will experience a mental illness. Almost
half the population has experienced a mental health disorder at some time in
their life.

What are the types of mental illness?


There are many different types of mental illness. Some of the main groups of
mental health disorders are:

• mood disorders (such as depression or bipolar disorder)


• anxiety disorders
• personality disorders
• psychotic disorders (such as schizophrenia)
• eating disorders
• trauma-related disorders (such as post-traumatic stress disorder)
• substance abuse disorders

What are the symptoms of mental illness?


Each type of mental illness has a different set of symptoms. For example,
extreme dieting may be a sign that someone has an eating disorder. Hearing
voices could be a sign of psychosis. An ongoing feeling of hopelessness after
childbirth could be a sign of postnatal depression. People with depression can
have a lasting sadness or low mood. People with anxiety often have excessive
worry or fears. Sometimes feelings of anxiety happen without any apparent
reason.

Drastic changes in a person’s thoughts, moods or behaviour can be a sign they


have a mental illness. Changes can be sudden or come on gradually over a long
period. A person who usually copes well with life may start to have trouble doing
their normal activities. These changes can cause them, or their loved ones,
distress. These signs could indicate a mental illness.

Here are some signs of mental illness to look out for:

• unusual or illogical thoughts


• unreasonable anger or irritability
• poor concentration and memory, not being able to follow a conversation
• hearing voices that no one else can hear
• increased or decreased sleep
• increased or low appetite, or preoccupation with control over food,
calories or excessive exercise
• lack of motivation
• withdrawing from people
• drug use
• feelings that life is not worth living or suicidal thoughts
• becoming obsessed with a topic, like death or religion
• not looking after personal hygiene or other responsibilities
• not doing as well as usual at school or work

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