There are several indicators of poor mental health that may suggest the presence of a psychiatric condition.
We all want to have excellent mental health, but because it is such a subjective idea, it can be difficult to tell if we are truly enjoying it or if, on the contrary, we are suffering from a silent but very destructive discomfort for our way of interacting to others and the world.
Each culture has its definition of what constitutes good mental health, but fortunately, there are international diagnostic taxonomies that imply what constitutes mental health and what does not, showing that there are a variety of symptoms of bad mental health.
Throughout this post, we will discuss what poor mental health is and what signs indicate that we should endeavor to improve our psychological state.
What do we mean by poor mental health?
We all want to enjoy good mental health and want to have everything we can to ensure it. However, maintaining this type of health can be very complicated, especially because the very idea behind it is quite subjective and difficult to define.
Proof of this is that in each culture the idea of what it means to be psychologically healthy is very diverse, interpreting as something perfectly normal behavior that in another could be seen as a sign of concern. When or at what point do we go from having good mental health to having poor mental health?
Mental health is inextricably tied to culture and should be viewed as multifaceted rather than binary. We all have varying degrees of mental health, and it can change throughout our lives as a result of things that happen to us as humans, such as occurrences, events, and experiences that alter our emotional stability.
Even though it is progressive and that determining the line between being mentally healthy and not being mentally healthy is difficult, we can confirm that some thoughts, feelings, and actions serve as indicators of poor mental health.
What are the warning signals of bad mental health?
In broad terms, excellent mental health is defined as a state of overall well-being in terms of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral characteristics. We feel this way when our manner of thinking, feeling, and behaving does not bring us psychological harm or pain.
However, no one is healthy 24 hours a day. Our mental condition can be a true roller coaster, followed by a slew of dysfunctional actions and thoughts that only serve to overwhelm, frustrate, stress, and anxiety. Normal" people can experience tremendous psychological disturbance, what we would ordinarily refer to as having a bad day, and, let's face it, this is very normal.
However, if this is how we live every day, if what was a dreadful day becomes our everyday routine, our daily bread and butter, there is a problem.
Unfortunately, people who are immersed in dysfunctional thoughts, emotions, and behaviors practically every day of their lives are so used to it that they believe it is normal and do not consider it a sign of poor mental health, although their suffering may be the tip of the iceberg of something more serious, a disorder that prevents them from living a happy, functional, productive, and fulfilling life.
Each mental health disorder has its unique set of signs and symptoms, however here is a comprehensive list of a few of them:
Changes in eating habits
Changes in sleep schedules
Inability to cope with day-to-day problems
Feeling of disconnection
Withdrawal from normal activities
Unusual or magical thoughts
Excessive anxiety
Sadness, depression, or apathy
Thoughts or statements of suicide
Thoughts of harming others
Substance abuse
Extreme mood swings
Excessive anger, hostility, or aggressiveness.
But, in addition to all these signs, we can highlight the following five that we will see below, which we will explain in more detail to understand why they could be a sign of poor mental health. Keep in mind that the presence of only one of them does not indicate that there is psychopathology and that in any case the diagnosis is only made by mental health professionals.
1. Procrastination
Procrastination is the opposite of "do not leave for tomorrow what you can do today": it is postponing what you can do now until later. It is something that everyone does at some point in their lives, as is putting off pressing responsibilities and obligations and spending time on any other more pleasurable activity or even not doing anything with the excuse that we need to rest a little.
Procrastinating is not something that should worry us in itself since we all do it. However, we should be concerned that we do it every day, all the time, for any minimally important task. The problem here would not be the momentary laziness we may feel or the lack of willpower, but rather a problem of insecurity and perfectionism.
When tasks are perceived as too complicated, the person does not feel capable of completing them or has such a high self-demand that he/she prefers to postpone them to do them better, with more energy. If you are one of those who procrastinate very often, perhaps you should consider working on your mental rigidity.
2. Chronic fatigue and exhaustion
Fatigue can be caused by a variety of factors, one of which is a disturbing psychological condition. If we are continually weary and the cause does not appear to be physiological, we may have a low mental health problem.
Exhaustion and apathy can be symptoms of depression, but they can also be caused by a high amount of anxiety.
3. Extreme disorder and disorganization
Some see disorder and disorganization as a reflection of our mental state, a portrayal of how disorganized our thoughts, feelings, concerns, and ideas are.
Physical chaos is a sign of mental chaos, and it is known that disorganized people tend to be more dissatisfied with their lives and less productive. Added to this, disorganization can lead to anxiety, distractions, and even sleep disturbances.
4. Somatization
Stress, anxiety, sadness, and, in general, any form of psychological distress can leave a profound mark not only in the mind but also in the body, manifesting as specific symptoms. One of the most common symptoms that we can trace to a reason is our poor mental health.
Gastrointestinal problems
Headaches
Skin problems: pruritus, dermatitis
Fibromyalgia
Chronic fatigue
Muscular pains
5. Arguments with our social environment
A sign of poor mental health is to be constantly angry with the world and the people in it.
Our way of relating to others can be a sign of how psychologically healthy we are, and if we have conflicts with the people who make up our social environment, there is likely a reason behind it.
Aggressiveness and irritability can be symptoms of depression, anxiety, or the inability to control anger. In addition, thinking that everything that others say to us or do to us is done to hurt us is also a symptom of psychological problems.
Interpreting the world in a hostile way is a bias that is caused by poor mental health and can lead us to isolate ourselves from others because they may become fed up with the way we treat ourselves.