Читать книгу Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace - Gill Hasson - Страница 16

Stigma and lack of awareness surrounding the spectrum of mental health problems can mean that people are often not aware of the symptoms of even some of the most common disorders like depression and anxiety. A person can be struggling but they, their friends, family, colleagues etc. may not recognize that they have a mental health problem. This can mean the issue doesn't get talked about, support and treatment are not sought, and things can go from bad to worse.

Of course, just as one person can experience a physical health problem differently from the next person, one person can experience a mental health problem differently from someone else with a mental health problem. There are, however, some common signs and symptoms. They include any number of the following:

 Out-of-character behaviour/unusual reactions

 Being overly sensitive, often upset or tearful, perhaps unable to stop crying

 Sudden mood changes

 Aggressive behaviour, irrational, angry outbursts

 Withdrawing from others

 Persistent tiredness or exhaustion

 Sleep problems

 Difficulty communicating, thinking clearly, concentrating, remembering, or making decisions

 Changes in appetite and eating habits

 Using alcohol or drugs as a coping strategy

 Losing interest in sex or being dependent on it

 Neglecting appearance and personal hygiene

 Taking less interest in things that used to be enjoyable

 Reluctance to make plans

 Physical aches and pains, nausea, tremors

 Self-harm, suicidal thinking or behaviour.

Although these are common indicators of a mental health problem (and/or could also be symptoms of a physical illness) each mental health problem will have its own specific signs and symptoms.