Identifying Mental Illnesses Through Communication: Key Signs

Some mental illnesses and disorders are quite noticeable from the outside. For example, lightning-fast mood swings or a sluggish voice. Here are five mental illnesses of a person that can be determined even by everyday communication.

1. Depression

Previously, scientists and doctors questioned the existence of depression as a serious illness. Low mood, bad dreams, and reluctance to do anything were considered to be a completely natural state for a person. Today, the American Psychiatric Association confidently emphasizes that this disorder is as common as gastritis or diabetes. Every sixth person experiences symptoms of depression at least once in their life.

What symptoms become apparent during conversation?

• The person constantly talks about his failure, worthlessness, or inability to do anything.
• Uses words with negative meanings such as “anger”, “tiredness”, “death”, “sadness”, and also adverbs of intensification “always” or “nothing”.
• In a conversation,  you can sense that a person is constantly blaming himself for something.
• The speech itself is very sluggish, and monotonous, without emotional upsurges.
• The other person often asks you to repeat something because he or she easily forgets what you said earlier.
• It is difficult for him to make a decision and he delays answering for a long time.
• These signs appear for at least two weeks. In some cases, depression is well disguised as a very good mood. It may seem that a person is incredibly happy, but at the same time, he will not miss the opportunity to say a few words about death or even suicide.

2. Obsessive-compulsive Disorder or OCD

You have probably seen the symptoms of this anxiety disorder in movie scenes or even noticed them in the behavior of your friends. Frequent hand washing, panic attacks when someone takes your things, obsessive ideas. Interestingly, people who suffer from this disease are most often aware of what is happening. But they cannot do anything about it on their own, because a harmless desire for order develops into uncontrollable insanity quite quickly.

So what can you determine when interacting with someone who suffers from OCD?

• He often repeats the same phrases and does so in a worried and nervous manner.
• During the conversation, the interlocutor repeatedly expresses concern about someone or something.
• He or she does not extend a hand, does not want to hug, feels uncomfortable, and even irritated when touched.

3. Bipolar Affective Disorder or BAD

According to WHO, bipolar disorder affects 60 million people worldwide. The disease is quite difficult to diagnose and some people live with it for years without even realizing it. Another 20% of people who suspect they have depression suffer from bipolar disorder. Typically, the disease manifests itself in a euphoric mood and the opposite – a depressed mood, loss of interest in sleep and food, and aggressive behavior.

Here’s what you’ll notice when talking to someone in the manic phase of the disease:

• The interlocutor repeats phrases such as: “Of course, I can do everything!”, “I will do everything better than anyone else.” There is excessive self-confidence, which can be emphasized even out of place.
• The person constantly jumps from one thought to another, and this does not bother him in the least.
• He is not afraid to say everything he thinks.
• Offers strange things, sometimes immoral or delusional. For example, buy potatoes and make a smoothie.

4. Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a serious illness that includes the following symptoms: inappropriate behavior, persecution mania, and serious emotional disorders. It is often inherited. Some people hear voices, and talk to someone, even if there is no one around. Unfortunately, with the development of schizophrenia, the risks of other serious illnesses also increase.

What symptoms should you expect when communicating?

• The interlocutor refers to connections with famous people or even considers himself as such. According to him, he is friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger or Kutuzov. Yes, no one is embarrassed that the latter lived 200 years ago.
• The logic of the conversation is completely broken.
• A person may say more than once that he is being followed or is about to be attacked.
• At the same time as you, your interlocutor may make sideways remarks, as if talking to himself.

5. Generalized Anxiety Disorder

This disorder is characterized by intense and very painful anxiety about literally everything and more. Symptoms of excessive anxiety manifest themselves for at least six months, so the person most often guesses about mental disorders. Physical manifestations are excessive sweating, nausea, cramps, and severe fatigue.

This is what is noticeable during the conversation:

• The interlocutor often emphasizes his fears for himself, his family, his work, and his life in general. It seems that everything is bad for him.
• If you discuss any problem, he will come to pessimistic conclusions. And so on all the time.
• You may feel like you are not being listened to.  It is as if the person is in the clouds.

It is impossible to recognize the diagnosis solely by these symptoms, because sometimes the interlocutor may simply be going through a difficult period in life or a bad mood. If you feel that something has been wrong with your friend or relative for a long time and there are similarities with the disorders described above, hurry to contact a specialist.