Knowing the Signs & Symptoms of a Mental Health Crisis By Steven Gamble | Founder, Man Anchor
I’ve been often quoted that knowing the more common signs of a mental health disorder is equally important as knowing resuscitation—both can have a profound impact on the lives of our loved ones and the wider community.
When we look statistically at mental health in Australia, 1 in 5 Australians will experience a common mental illness within a 12-month period. The 3 most common mental illnesses affecting Australians aged between 16 – 85 include Anxiety disorders 14%, Depressive and Bipolar disorders 6.2% and Substance Use disorders. Of the 1 in 5 Australians experiencing a mental health disorder, only 35% seek professional support. So let’s stop for one moment and think about that statistic - 1 in 5, or 20%, of all Australians will be affected by a mental illness in one year, and now let’s think about our friends, family and work colleagues, statistically we will all know someone or will experience a disorder ourselves. So knowing the above stats is important that we all have a basic understanding of the more common triggers, signs and symptoms of a worsening or developing mental health problem or illness to be
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able to support our own wellbeing and that of our loved ones. Like any illness, early intervention is the key to a successful treatment, and being able to recognise these more common signs can be the catalyst for positive professional intervention. On the following page, there is a basic list of the more common triggers to a mental health crisis. Knowing that you, or a loved one, has experienced a potential trigger and is then presenting with two or more of these common signs and symptoms, it is important that you or the individual seek clinical support. A ‘Sign’ is what you can see in someone, and a ‘Symptom’ is what someone can feel and experience. It’s important to note these are basic indicators,
