To learn more about symptoms that are specific to a particular mental health issue, refer to specific information on that illness. The following are signs that you, your loved one, or an employee may want to speak to a medical or mental health professional.

In adults:

• Confused thinking
• Prolonged sadness or irritability
• Extreme mood swings
• Excessive fears, worries and anxieties
• Social withdrawal
• Changes in eating or sleeping habits
• Strong feelings of anger
• Unusual thinking/beliefs for the person
• Growing inability to cope with daily problems and activities
• Suicidal thoughts
• Denial of obvious problems
• Numerous unexplained physical ailments
• Substance abuse

In older children and pre-adolescents:

• Substance abuse
• Inability to cope with problems and daily activities
• Changes in sleeping and/or eating habits
• Excessive complaints of physical ailments
• Defiance of authority, truancy, theft, and/or vandalism
• Intense fear of weight gain
• Prolonged negative mood, often accompanied by poor appetite or thoughts of death
• Frequent outbursts of anger
• Substance abuse

In younger children:

• Changes in school performance
• Separation anxiety
• Opportunistic/defiant behaviour
• Hyperactivity
• Persistent nightmares
• Persistent disobedience or aggression

How do I know if someone is (or if I) am having trouble coping with stress or mental health issues?

There are many different signs and symptoms that can indicate when someone is having difficulty coping with their mental health and the amount of stress they are experiencing. This list is intended to help employers and those close to someone who may be experiencing difficulties with their mental health:

Physical: headaches, grinding teeth, clenched jaws, chest pain, shortness of breath, pounding heart, high blood pressure, muscle aches, indigestion, constipation or diarrhea, increased perspiration, fatigue, insomnia, frequent illness.

Psychosocial: anxiety, irritability, sadness, defensiveness, anger, mood swings, hypersensitivity, apathy, depression, slowed thinking or racing thoughts; feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, or of being trapped.

Behavioural: overeating or loss of appetite, impatience, quickness to argue, procrastination, increased use of alcohol or drugs, increased smoking, withdrawal or isolation from others, neglect of responsibility, poor job performance, poor personal hygiene, change in religious practices, change in close family relationships.

Do all of these signs or symptoms happen all at once and what level of help should be sought?

No, not normally. The signs and symptoms from stress from mental health tend to progress through several phases or stages. Medaca assesses what type of treatment modality is right for each individual’s specific needs.