Symptoms of mental disorders vary depending on the type and severity of the condition. Some general symptoms that may suggest a mental illness include: 

In Adults

• Confused thinking

• Long-lasting sadness or irritability

• Extremely high and low moods

• Excessive fear, worry, or anxiety

• Social withdrawal

• Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits

• Strong feelings of anger

• Delusions or hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not really there)

• Increasing inability to cope with daily problems and activities

• Thoughts of suicide

• Denial of obvious problems

• Many unexplained physical problems

• Abuse of drugs and/or alcohol

In Older Children and Pre-Teens

• Abuse of drugs and/or alcohol

• Changes in school performance, falling grades

• Inability to cope with daily problems and activities

• Changes in sleeping and/or eating habits

• Excessive complaints of physical problems

• Defying authority, skipping school, stealing, or damaging property

• Intense fear of gaining weight

• Long-lasting negative mood, often along with poor appetite and thoughts of death

• Frequent outbursts of anger