Mental illness can affect various aspects of a person’s life, including their behavior, thoughts, feelings, higher-order mental functions, and memory. Someone with mental illness may exhibit unusual behaviors like excessive indulgence in high risk activities, impulsive behavior, agitation or aggressiveness at the slightest provocation. Mental illness may cause preoccupation with negative thoughts, racing thoughts, difficulty focusing, and even delusions or hallucinations. One may face difficulty in making decisions, organizing thoughts, planning and higher order mental functions.
Memory impairment like forgetting important details, distortions in memory may be a sign of concern. In cases of severe mental illness the daily routine may get completely ruptured or disorganized. Feeling like being on an emotional rollercoaster, having sudden mood swings, prolonged feelings of sadness, fatigue, excessive substance abuse, feeling guilt shame or even numb without any apparent cause may be indicative of an underlying mental illness. It’s essential to remember that everyone’s experience with mental illness is different, and not everyone will experience all of these symptoms. If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s essential to seek help from a healthcare professional. Treatment for mental illness is available and can help people lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
