Reasons Someone Might Need Help

When feelings, thoughts, or behaviors interfere with school, family, friendships, and/or activities, or last for a few weeks or more, it’s a good idea to seek help. Signs and symptoms that may indicate a need to seek help can include:

Feelings

• feeling more down, sad, or worried than usual
• noticing moods fluctuating more than usual
• feeling agitated, overly restless, or overstimulated
• losing interest in activities or being with friends
• feeling overwhelmed and stressed out
• feeling hopeless or like life just isn’t worth living

Thoughts

• finding it hard to concentrate or learn
• being overly concerned about weight or body image
• unwanted, racing, or reoccurring distressing thoughts, images, or urges, such as excessive worries or visuals about something bad happening at school or to loved ones
• hearing things that other people don’t or seeing things that aren’t real
• excessive rumination on events or situations that are beyond your control

Behaviors

• sleeping much more or less than usual
• change in eating habits: dieting or exercising obsessively, undereating or overeating (including binging and purging)
• pressured speech: talking very fast, or continuing to talk when others aren’t paying attention
• changes in energy and participation: persistently elevated activity level, or withdrawing from family, friends, and/or activities you usually enjoy
• difficulty staying on task and completing assignments, or difficulty attending classes or keeping up with schoolwork
• agitation or lack of impulse control
• substance misuse
• digital media misuse
• engaging in risky, possibly dangerous behaviors like fighting, having unprotected sex, or reckless driving
• hurting oneself (such as cutting or burning) or wanting to hurt oneself or others.