Anyone in the world can suffer a mental health crisis. Of course, it doesn’t come out of nowhere. There are tragic events that can trigger a crisis and throw life into chaos. Despite this, we should be thankful that families and what we mean by mental health have changed a lot over time.
For example, by the early 1900’s it was shameful to admit to having a child with Down syndrome or any such condition. So much so, that wealthy families would confine their patients to hospitals to be cared for. Those who did not, kept them hidden from society. Now, to say nothing of how these human beings were treated in those places; truly, something to be ashamed of.
Fortunately, things have changed a lot. It is now possible to speak without fear of public scorn of the countless diseases that can afflict people. Moreover, treatments are no longer taboo and many people have access to them.
With this in mind, here are the signs that someone around you is suffering from a mental health crisis and needs help.
- Lack of self-care
This is perhaps one of the most obvious signs that something is wrong in a person’s life. Of course, this has to be an obvious change in personal routines.
If you suddenly notice that your family member suddenly goes from one day to the next and loses all interest in grooming himself; moreover, his home shows obvious neglect, this is a sign that you should talk to him to find out what is going on.
- Isolation
Not everyone likes to have an active social life, that’s not a problem. The dilemma arises when the person goes from being someone with many friends and outings every weekend to zero social contact. That is, he/she doesn’t even pick up the phone to answer a call or a message; then, things are not good at all.
- Failure to fulfill his or her responsibilities
If the person suddenly stops taking the kids to school, doesn’t care about paying the bills or buying groceries, he/she is suffering a crisis. The reality is that he/she doesn’t care about anything or forgets that it is his/her responsibility to do these kinds of things.
- Paranoia
Paranoia is a mental illness characterized by obsessive thoughts. These are based on ideas that she is being followed, spied on and sought to harm her.
These ideas make the person suffer and seclude him/herself to prevent “someone” or “something” from harming him/her. The person will even begin to suspect that his own family wants to hurt him; in his defense he may hurt those who live with him.
- Hallucinations or delusions
There are hallucinations and delusions of all kinds. The person claims to see, hear and smell things that do not exist. So, if your family member claims to hear someone talking to him and ordering him to do things; if he claims to see monsters attacking him, and even food tastes bad to him and he refuses to eat, it is time to seek psychiatric help.
- Suicidal thoughts
Every day many people choose to take their own lives. This is not an event that arises spontaneously and is always triggered by a distressing situation. The idea arises and begins to fill every empty space in the person’s life, until it succeeds.
A person with suicidal ideas manifests his intention in a thousand ways, but almost never in a direct way. Neither does he/she fall into blackmail; when he/she is going to commit the act, he/she does it without saying a word.
That is why if you have a family member with work or money problems, you should be attentive to help him/her and avoid a valuable loss.
- Difficulty in remembering important events in his or her life
Something common in a person with a mental health crisis is that they do not know how to respond to simple personal information. What happens is that they forget them; it is a way in which the mind acts to protect the person.
- Drastic changes in their sleep habits
Something that also happens frequently is that the person goes from having normal sleep and wakefulness schedules. He or she may sleep a lot or be awake for more than 24 consecutive hours. During these events he/she may be very restless or in a state of lethargy.
- Fear and anxiety
We all have moments of fear and anxiety; however, in a person with a crisis these will go from extreme to extreme to the point that he/she will not be able to have a normal life.
- Mood swings
Let’s face it, people today use the term bipolar very liberally. No one under any circumstances in their right mind wants to know what a crisis of an emotional illness such as bipolar affective disorder is. Now, mood swings do not stay within the framework of the previous disorder.
If you realize that the person goes from joy to sadness in a second. If he/she also threatens to hurt someone, and has destructive behavior, seek help quickly.
- Extreme sadness
Everyone can experience sadness because problems do not wait; however, a person with a good state of emotional health comes out of his sadness without major mishaps and as soon as he finds the solution.
When it comes to depression (whether endogenous or exogenous), it is important to seek medical help. The reason is that you will not get out of it unless you get professional help.
Finally I can only say that if you feel that someone you love needs your help, give it. Many times for fear of ridicule people suffer in solitude. Dealing with mental health problems is not easy, but if you have support it is easier to cope.