What traits do a mentally ill person have?

Answer 1

This question is almost impossible to answer as it is too generalised. Mental disorders include anxiety, depression, eating disorders, phobias, post traumatic stress, obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar, schizophrenia, personality disorders, psychotic disorders, psychosomatic disorders, psychosexual disorders ... and that is nowhere near being the full list.

To even further complicate things, a person's culture can make a difference in what is seen as abnormal behaviour and what is not. In the United States, for instance, saying you hear voices in your head may be indicative of a mental disorder, at the very least people would think it was very strange. But if you were in, say Africa, where there is a great belief in spirits, this would not be strange and would not necessarily be indicative of a mental disorder.

In general, if a person has started acting in a way that is very out of the ordinary for how they usually act or seem to have lost touch with reality, they may be suffering from a mental illness or mental disorder. Not wanting to participate in usual activities, spending less time with friends, and seeming to lose interest in life may indicate a depressive disorder. Massive mood swings may indicate mental illness or mental disorders.

If you feel you or someone you know may have an undiagnosed mental illness, you could talk to your doctor, a mental health worker, or a community health worker for more information.