The holidays bring us into close contact with people we might not see much during the rest of the year. Sometimes, this proximity can lead to unpleasant interactions that leave us feeling upset with our family members. At Highland Hospital Behavioral Health, we encourage you to consider that some of the frustrating behaviors you observe might indicate that someone you know could benefit from support with their behavioral health. Anxiety can sometimes appear as anger, with someone fearfully lashing out. depression is often mistaken for laziness or disinterest. Addiction may be at the root of dishonesty, theft, and agitation. While this doesn’t excuse bad behavior, it can help us understand the underlying needs behind it.
Behavioral Health Risk Factors
Behavioral health includes mental illnesses and substance use disorders. There are many shared risk factors between these conditions, such as:
- Trauma such as abuse – physical, sexual, or emotional, loss of loved ones due to incarceration, divorce, placement in foster care, or death, natural disasters, witnessing domestic violence, living in poverty, or living in a community where violence is common
- Being biologically related to someone with a mental health or substance use disorder
- Brain differences
- High degrees of stress or limited coping skills
Mental Health Red Flags
How can you tell the difference between someone who is struggling with mental illness, versus someone who is just a turkey? One of the big indicators is often change. The person didn’t used to be this way, but now you’re noticing some troubling behaviors that have either appeared suddenly or developed over time.
Some of the earliest signs of a mental health disorder often include:
- Changes in functioning (struggling at school, work, or home)
- Seeming more worried or anxious than other people
- Changes in appetite or sleep patterns
- More aggressive, defensive, or irritable behavior
- Physical health complaints with no clear medical cause
- Confusion or strange ideas
- Changes in appearance – hygiene, grooming, and/or weight
- Isolation and/or withdrawal from others
- Big highs and lows in mood
- Suicidal thoughts or self-harm
Remember that many people who develop mental health disorders start to show signs in late childhood or early adolescence, so don’t rule out the child or teenager in your family who is showing difficult behaviors, as someone who might benefit from support with their mental health.
Substance Use Red Flags
The signs listed above can also be indications of substance misuse, and many people who struggle with mental illness have substance use disorders as well. This is referred to as a dual diagnosis disorder. Additionally, if someone is misusing alcohol or other drugs, you may observe:
- Sudden changes in who they are associating with and not wanting to introduce these new friends to their loved ones
- A lot more time spent on trying to acquire the substance they use
- Secretiveness and efforts to hide the red flags (using eye drops, incense, air freshener, mouthwash, etc., to conceal physical symptoms)
- Issues with hand-eye coordination
- Changes to speech such as slurring, talking slower, or faster
- Memory issues
How You Can Help
If you are worried that someone in your life is developing a substance use or mental health disorder, there are several steps you can take to help them, which include:
- Observing their behavior
- Assessing for suicidal ideation by asking them questions
- Listening to them
- Reassuring them and connecting them to support by helping them call their therapist or primary care doctor to make an appointment; helping them locate support groups such as AA, NA, grief groups, or groups for mental health disorders; or calling or texting the 988 Crisis and Suicide Lifeline. It is important to take them to an emergency room or call 911 if they are suicidal and unwilling to make a safety plan.
- Checking in with them and offering practical help
At Highland Hospital Behavioral Health in Charleston, West Virginia, we offer treatment for mental illness and dual diagnosis disorders. Our team is trained in trauma-informed practices, which they offer with empathy and compassion. We develop individualized treatment plans with each patient we serve, which are tailored to meet their unique needs and build on the strengths of the patient and their support systems.
