What are the symptoms of mental health problems?

Mental health problems are not limited to extreme manifestations such as "emotional breakdown and inability to think straight." The core criterion is that the individual's long-term stable state has experienced sustained deviations that cannot be adjusted by oneself. Many details that are easily regarded as "tired" or "personality changes" are actually early warning signs.

There are actually two very common extreme views on these symptoms. One is that as long as it does not reach the level of diagnosed mental illness, it is nothing and it will be over. The other is that occasional mood swings and bad tempers are all classified as psychological problems, creating anxiety for nothing. In fact, the clinical distinction between "normal mood swings" and "problem signals" mainly depends on two dimensions: first, whether the duration exceeds two weeks, and second, whether it affects normal social functions such as work, study, and social interaction.

When I was doing psychological science popularization in the community, I met the operator of an Internet company. She used to be famous for her good temper in the group and was soft-spoken to everyone. After four months of running a big promotion project, she suddenly became explosive. A colleague just asked if the report data had been updated, and she would uncontrollably yell at people, and secretly shed tears afterwards and regretted it. , at first she and her boss thought she was just busy and would be fine after the project was over, but later she began to suffer from insomnia for a week in a row and relied on three or four cups of coffee every day to stay at work. She also had no appetite for food and lost eight pounds in a month. After a free psychological consultation, she found out that she was already in a moderate state of anxiety, and that if it continued, she might develop into a diagnosed anxiety disorder.

What many people don’t know is that psychological problems are not necessarily only manifested in emotions, but may also be hidden in situations that everyone thinks are “physical problems” and “decreased abilities.” I once met a boy who was a sophomore in high school. His grades had always been in the top 30 of his grade. Suddenly he couldn't concentrate. He sat staring at the blackboard for the whole class. After class, he couldn't remember what the teacher said. He even had to think for a long time to find the idea for the math problem he was best at before. Dad. At first, the mother thought the child was lazy and fell in love. She scolded her several times and it didn't get better. It wasn't until the child said that he always felt that life was boring that she brought him in for evaluation. In fact, it was the cognitive impairment associated with depression. If the intervention was delayed for a few months, he might not be able to keep up with the review pace for the college entrance examination. There are also many people who have physical pain for which no cause can be found, such as recurring headaches, stomachaches, and chest tightness. They have gone to the internal medicine department for examination and found no organic disease. In this case, it is most likely a physical expression of psychological problems. I met a man in his fifties before. My aunt always felt that there was something wrong with her heart. She went to the emergency room seven times to get electrocardiograms and cardiac enzymes, and the results were all normal. Later, when she was transferred to the psychiatry department, she found out that it was because she had been holding back her tears since her husband left. She couldn't express her emotions, and it all turned into physical pain.

In fact, the performance of psychological problems is a bit like our daily injuries. It is not only broken bones and bleeding that are called injuries. Blisters and sprained ankles. These signs that do not seem serious but hurt all the time and affect your normal walking are also signs that your body is saying stop. The same goes for your psychology. You don’t have to wait until you can’t hold it any longer before you think about adjustments. Nowadays, there are many psychological self-assessment forms on the Internet. It is okay for everyone to take the test occasionally, but be sure not to label yourself "depression" or "anxiety disorder" casually. After all, many transient manifestations may be caused by too much stress recently. You can go out with friends for a day and get a good sleep to relieve yourself. If you really feel uncomfortable for more than two weeks, just seek an evaluation from a regular psychiatrist or psychological counselor. There is no need to hide your symptoms or be overly nervous.