How to understand that your mental health is deteriorating: 5 questions

It takes no more than ten minutes to diagnose depression in yourself. Find the appropriate online test on a trusted site, answer the questions, and you’re done. You have an answer, you have a «diagnosis». It would seem, what could be easier?

These tests and lists of criteria can be really helpful — they help us recognize that we are not okay and think about changing or seeking help. But the reality is somewhat more complicated, because we humans are also somewhat more complicated. And also because each case is unique and mental health is a fickle thing. So psychologists will not be left without work for a long time.

And yet there is a method that we can borrow from experts to understand whether our condition has really worsened. According to clinical psychologist Karen Nimmo, they use it to get to the bottom of what is happening with the patient. To understand what his vulnerability is, where to look for a resource, and choose a suitable therapy plan.

The method consists of five questions that you must answer for yourself. So you can assess your condition and understand with what request you should contact a psychologist. 

1. “Am I less active on my weekends?”

Our behavior on weekends is much more revealing than what we do on weekdays. Whatever one may say, on working days we have a set schedule and obligations, so many people with some kind of mental health disorder manage to «get together», for example, from Monday to Friday — simply because they have to work — but on Saturday and Sunday, as they say, «covers» them.

So, the question is: do you do the same things on weekends as before? Does it give you the same pleasure? Are you able to relax and unwind? Are you spending more time lying down than before?

And something else. If you realize that you no longer care how you look, even if you meet with friends on the weekends, you should be especially wary: such a change is very eloquent.

2. “Have I started avoiding tactics?”

You may have noticed that you began to say “no” more often to people with whom you used to love meeting and spending time, you began to refuse invitations and offers more often. Perhaps you have generally begun to «shut off» from the world. Or maybe you feel like you’re «stuck» in at least one area of ​​your life. These are all warning signs to watch out for.

3. «Do I enjoy it at all?»

Are you able to… laugh? Sincerely, is it not strained to laugh at something funny at least sometimes and generally rejoice at something? Ask yourself when was the last time you really had fun? If recently — most likely, you are generally fine. If you find it difficult to remember such a moment, you should think about it.

4. “Has something that helped me before stopped working?”

Have you ever tried the usual tactics of rest, relaxation and raising your spirits and realized that they no longer work? The sign that should get the most of your attention is that you no longer feel full of energy after a long vacation.

5. «Has my personality changed?»

Do you ever get the feeling that there is nothing left of the old you? That you have ceased to be an interesting conversationalist, lost your «spark», self-confidence, creativity? Try talking to loved ones you trust: they may have noticed a change in you — for example, that you have become more silent or, conversely, more irritable.  

What to do next

If, after answering the questions, the picture is far from rosy, you should not panic: there is nothing shameful and terrible in the fact that your condition may have worsened.

You may be showing symptoms of «long covid»; perhaps the deterioration has nothing to do with the pandemic at all. In any case, this is a reason to seek professional help: the sooner you do this, the sooner it will become easier for you, and life will again acquire colors and taste.

^{A source: Medium}