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Just like there are signs of changing seasons, as we ease into fall, there are signs of someone with mental illness. Mental health problems are rampant, it is obvious the mental health system is gravely broken. What can we do to help those with signs and symptoms of mental illness? Are their red flags with mental illness?

Last week Aaron Alexis, a lone gunman armed initially with a shotgun, fatally shot twelve people and injured three others in a mass shooting at the headquarters of the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. Another senseless shooting that can be attributed to mental illness. Innocent lives lost because no one recognized the signs, symptoms and behavior of mental illness.

Earlier this year, the American Psychiatric Association unveiled the fifth edition of its handbook of diagnoses, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manuals of Mental Disorders (D.S.M.-5). Fourteen years in the making, the D.S.M.-5 is a manual that provides common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders. The handbook is a guide to assist those medical professionals looking to identify and help their patients with psychiatric assessment.

What is mental illness? Mental illnesses are conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functions. Mental illnesses affect tens of millions of people each year, only a fraction of whom receive treatment. Mental illness disorders include but not limited to the following: schizophrenia, bipolar illness, severe pr major depression (different from regular depression), panic disorder/anxiety and A.D.H.D.

According to Washington, D. C. law enforcement officials and others described Aaron Alexis as a paranoid man who heard voices, believed he was being followed and couldn’t sleep. Apparently, he was undergoing treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Unfortunately there is a stigma attached to mental illness, making it hard to admit to dealing with one. If one doesn’t admit to mental health illness, one will typically not seek professional help. Some of these people start losing control with the passage of time which badly affects their personal as well as professional life. Life is full of challenging times that can affect our emotional and mental well-being. A death in the family, job loss, the end of a relationship, a midlife crisis can trigger mental illness even if never diagnosed with mental illness.

According to a new U. K. study, women are 40 percent more likely to develop mental illness than men. The study also says that women are almost 75 percent more likely than men to have depression. Additionally, women are 60 percent more likely than guys to report an anxiety problem.

Red Flags for Mental Illness:

  1. Sudden, Unexplained Mood Changes
  2. Unable to Handle Minor Problems and Daily Activities
  3. Loss of Interest in Hobbies and Social Withdrawal
  4. Unexplained Physical Changes
  5. Loss of Confidence
  6. Strange or Over-Elaborate Ideas
  7. Problems Thinking Clearly
  8. Self-Medicating with Alcohol or Drugs to cover emotional pain
  9. Poor Sleeping Habits
  10. Poor Personal Hygiene
  11. Unable to Maintain job
  12. Talk of Suicide

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a nation-wide advocacy group representing families and people affected by mental illness. http://www.nami.org/

We can help those around us that suffer and need help by letting them know you can help them get the help they need. There are medications to help along with proper diet and exercise.