Depression
People with symptoms of Depression often:
- Have lasting feelings of sadness and hopelessness.
- Don’t want to do things they used to find interesting or fun.
- Feel helpless, unworthy, and guilty.
- Don’t look forward to anything; nothing in life excites them.
- Are pessimistic; have a negative outlook.
- Obsess about regrets in life.
- Aren’t motivated to do anything.
- Have less energy; can’t concentrate.
- Have more physical complaints.
- Have problems with sleep; either sleeping more, waking early, or having disrupted sleep.
- Don’t feel interested in sex.
- Have a change in appetite; either eating more or less.
- Have uncontrollable crying spells.
- Isolate from family and friends.
- Avoid interacting with people.
- Have a hard time making decisions.
- Are unhappy with almost everything in their lives.
- Have road rage
- Think about death often.
Anxiety and Panic Attacks
People with symptoms of Anxiety and Panic often:
- Feel nervous and worry a great deal of the time.
- Believe that bad things are going to happen to them or their loved ones.
- Can’t concentrate.
- Are afraid to make the “wrong decisions" and are afraid to take risks.
- Feel overly anxious around other people, when they have to speak in public, or to take a test.
- Worry excessively about what other people think, letting people down, not being perfect, or hurting someones feelings.
- Need constant reassurance; doubt themselves constantly.
- Can’t handle stressful situations at home, work, or in social settings.
- Feel helpless in stressful situations.
- Avoid people and social situations to prevent feeling anxious.
- Have panic attacks during which they feel they are going to die, feel out of control, experience shortness of breath, heart-racing, cold sweats, dizziness, and may even go to the emergency room thinking they are going to die.
- Believe that there is something physically wrong with them.
Bipolar Disorder (Manic-Depression)
People with symptoms of Bipolar Disorder often:
- Experience mood swings (i.e., have periods of depression alternating with manic periods).
- Describe their manic periods as very distinct times in their lives when they had a lot of energy, slept much less, were more impulsive, spoke rapidly, had racing thoughts, were more irritable, could be more rageful, and felt much more confident to the point of grandiosity.
- Have such chronic and severe depression that antidepressant medication either is not helpful or actually makes them feel worse.
- Have used illegal substances excessively.
- Have been overly promiscuous.
- Have spent large sums of money that they did not have.
- Have felt like they want to crawl out of their skin.
- Have a family member who has Bipolar Disorder or frequent depressive episodes.
- Have difficulty maintaining jobs and relationships.
- Feel they have no control over their mood swings.
- Feel different from other people.
- Have road rage.
- Have felt like they wanted to die to stop the emotional pain.
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
People with symptoms of ADHD often:
- Have short attention spans; are easily distracted.
- Have difficulty concentrating.
- Are restless, forgetful, and have low frustration tolerance.
- Cannot stand in line.
- Have difficulty completing tasks, reading a book, watching a movie.
- Feel hyper.
- Speak fast.
- Have problems getting along with family and friends.
- Have difficulty maintaining relationships.
- Behave impulsively.
- Daydream excessively.
- Have difficulty at school and work, tend to drop our of school, and have multiple jobs.
- Have had a history of substance abuse.
- Frequently lose or misplace things.
- Have a family member with similar characteristics.
- Have low self-esteem; feel like they are a failure.
- Say they feel calmer when they use illicit substances.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
People with symptoms of OCD often:
- Have recurring obsessions (troublesome and intrusive thoughts), such as concerns that they forgot to do something important, excessive thoughts about their health, or the wellbeing of others.
- Have compulsions (repetitive behaviors or rituals, such as hand washing, counting, checking to see if doors are locked) which are often seen as senseless, but which they are unable to stop and interfere with their daily functioning.
- Feel shame about their inability to control their thoughts and behaviors.
Substance Abuse Disorders
People with addiction issues often:
- Are physically and/or psychologically dependent on alcohol, cocaine, prescription drugs, heroin/opiates, or marijuana.
- Are in denial of the severity of their addiction.
- Cannot stop using drugs on their own.
- Hide their substance use from others.
- Build a tolerance to drugs and need higher and higher doses to feel the same effect (high).
- Are unable to maintain relationships and employment due to their addiction.
- Report that finding a way to obtain more drugs has become the most important thing in their lives.
- Feel ashamed about their addiction.
- Lie and steal to support their habit.
- Feel their addiction is controlling them.
Eating Disorders
People with eating disorders often:
- Have distorted views of their bodies.
- Starve themselves (Anorexia).
- Binge eat and/or vomit/purge (Bulimia).
- Eat compulsively.
- Hide their eating habits.
- Feel ashamed of their bodies.
- Obsess about food throughout the day.
- Have food rituals.
- View foods as either “bad” or “good.”
- Are overly critical of themselves.
Sexual Identity Issues
People with sexual identity issues often:
- Are ambivalent about their sexual orientation.
- Have shame and guilt surrounding their sexual preferences.
- Are concerned about being harshly judged or stigmatized for their sexual orientation.
- Are afraid to reveal their sexual identity.
- Feel depressed, anxious, and alone.
