Mental Health Care
The following are some of the symptoms that usually signal the need for professional counseling. Only a trained professional can diagnose and determine the treatment needed.
* Crippling or excessive anxieties (phobias, fears, panic attacks)
* Marked personality change
* Prolonged depression and apathy (a sense of hopelessness, loss of pleasure in life, helplessness, confusion, or constant frustration)
* Wide mood swings (extreme highs and lows)
* Excessive anger or hostility; destructive, abusive, or violent behavior
* Abuse of drugs or alcohol
* Marked changes in eating or sleeping patterns
* Thinking or talking about suicide
* A feeling that you’ve lost control of your life
* Inability to cope with problems or daily activities, such as school, job, or personal needs
* Sexual problems or abuse
* Preoccupation with physical illness
* Strange or grandiose ideas
* Problems on the job
* Overall decline in job performance
* Difficulty interacting with other people (friends, significant other, parents, children, and co-workers)
* Post-traumatic stress disorder
* Denial of obvious problems; strong resistance to receiving help
* Seeing or hearing things that aren’t actually present
* Suspiciousness or paranoia
* Extreme jealousy
* Difficulty with authority
* Social withdrawal and isolation
* Inability to cope with the loss of a loved one
* Problems with the law
* Compulsive behaviors (i.e., spending, gambling, overeating)
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine