How can you tell by someone's eyes if they are mentally ill?

Answer 1

Loosing normal ability to reason and be self productive is part of mental illness.

Symptoms

• self-destructive actions
• abuse of alcohol of other drugs
• withdrawal or distrust of friends and family
• short temper and argumentative
• loss of interest in daily activities
• inability to concentrate
• glazed or faraway stare and/or bizarre posturing
• decline in academic, athletic or job performance
• deterioration of personal appearance and hygiene
• inappropriate dressing for weather or occasion
• excessive changes in sleeping or wakefulness
• excessive changes in appetite--too little or too much
• excessive seeking of approval
• excessive writing of nonsensical or disconnected thoughts and words
• rapid, loud, disorganized speech
• boundless energy, enthusiasm, and need for activity
• impulsive and/or erratic behavior

Perception - extreme or unusual sensitivity to light/colors/noise believing his or her thoughts are controlled by others

• fear of touching or being touched by others or things
• changed sense of self (believing body parts are diseased, detached, hanging, etc.)
• sense of body boundaries deteriorating
• hallucinations: either auditory (hearing voices) and/or visual (seeing something that is non-existent)
• certain clothing having unusual meaning

Emotions/Feelings/Thoughts

• extreme anxiety over the smallest things
• recurring attacks of panic or anxiety
• extreme guilt over "past sins" or bad conduct
• extreme pessimism and/of unceasing depression
• rapid switch to severe depression
• extremely low self-esteem
• inability to express or feel any emotion
• loss of motivation
• poor concentration
• suicidal thoughts
• paranoia towards everyone and everything
• delusions of power/wealth/knowledge
• grandiose ideas
• poor reasoning, memory, and judgment
• exaggerated, blunted or inappropriate emotional response (laugh/cry)

Answer 2

If you are feeling depressed, thinking about suicide, hearing voices, or have noticed a significant negative change in your outlook on life that affects your ability to function on a day-to-day basis, you may very well be suffering from a mental illness.

If this is the case, please reach out to friends, family, co-workers, teachers, university or community mental health services, etc., and don't stop reaching out until you find the help you need.

It is possible to feel better.

Answer 3

You can't. If it was this easy, the people with crazy eyes could be put in treatment and the rest of us would feel safe on the streets.

Mug shots often show what I call "dead eyes." There is no spark that shows an interest in what is happening, no fear in what they are facing.

More scary, is the people arrested for a horrible crime who have that sinister, smirk and glee in their eyes that makes them look like they are playing a game.

The following are obvious visual clues to mental illness that mental health workers observe.

First, "flattened aspect" is a symptom often associated with depression. The face muscles remain immobile in response to stimulus. The patient does not smile or frown or grimace. The patient's eyes are unfocused or focused in the far distance (this is colloquially known as "the thousand yard stare"). The patient rarely blinks and rarely reacts to their surroundings.

Facial tics around the mouth and tongue can be a symptom of Tardive Dyskenisia. This isn't a mental illness, but a drug reaction produced by high doses of anti-psychotic drugs, which re used to treat mental illness.

Postural changes may be evident; depressives, for example, often slouch. Changes in gait can also be evident; small, shuffling or mincing steps are common among depressives, for instance.

Rapid movement and pressured, rapid fire speech are associated with manic symptoms in Bipolar patients.

Answer 4

If you have unhealthy habits that are interfering in your life, you might have a mental illness. Mental illness is like any other disease in that the symptoms are severe enough to stop you from enjoying your life. If you are just unhappy, you probably have some issues that you need to work on, but are not necessarily ill. Mentally ill people cannot help their symptoms, and cannot change without medication.

Answer 5

Evaluate them