Five Mental Disorder Early Warning Signs to Watch Out For

26% of Americans 18 or older have a mental disorder diagnosis, that's 1 in 4 adults that suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder in a given year. That's a lot of people!

A diagnosable mental disorder is a mental illness that has been diagnosed by a doctor or a licensed therapist.

Example diagnosable mental disorders:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Bipolar Disorder
• Phobias

Many people who have a mental disorder also have co-existing disorders, such as anxiety and depression. And this can lead to a downward spiral of despair and loneliness.

Here are the 5 Mental Disorder Early Warning Signs to Watch Out For:

1. Isolation and withdrawal for others for a long period of time.
2. An increase in the use of drugs and/or alochol.
3. Frequent running away and staying away for long periods of time.
4. Feelings of hopelessness for many days in a row.
5. Letting fear keep you from doing things you want or need to do.

If you answered "yes" to any of these warning signs of a mental disorder, I recommend you find a therapist.

Just because you may have one or more of these warning signs does not mean you have a mental illness, but you should not ignore them.

Thank you for listening to the Mental Health Today Show,

John Cordray, Board Certified Counselor