Symptoms of Mental Illness

Don’t be afraid to reach out if you or someone you know needs help. Learning all you can about mental health is an important first step. At BHSA we know the conflict and struggle that can come with addressing these concerns and symptoms. Please contact us to make an appointment.

Trying to tell the difference between what expected behaviors are and what might be the signs of a mental illness isn't always easy. There's no easy test that can let someone know if there is mental illness or if actions and thoughts might be typical behaviors of a person or the result of a physical illness.

Each illness has its own symptoms, but common signs of mental illness in adults and adolescents can include the following:

  • Excessive worrying or fear
  • Feeling excessively sad or low
  • Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
  • Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria
  • Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
  • Avoiding friends and social activities
  • Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
  • Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
  • Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite
  • Changes in sex drive
  • Difficulty perceiving reality (delusions or hallucinations, in which a person experiences and senses things that don't exist in objective reality)
  • Inability to perceive changes in one’s own feelings, behavior or personality (”lack of insight” or anosognosia)
  • Abuse of substances like alcohol or drugs
  • Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes (such as headaches, stomach aches, vague and ongoing “aches and pains”)
  • Thinking about suicide
  • Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress
  • An intense fear of weight gain or concern with appearance

Mental health conditions can also begin to develop in young children. Because they’re still learning how to identify and talk about thoughts and emotions, their most obvious symptoms are behavioral. Symptoms in children may include the following:

  • Changes in school performance
  • Excessive worry or anxiety, for instance fighting to avoid bed or school
  • Hyperactive behavior
  • Frequent nightmares
  • Frequent disobedience or aggression
  • Frequent temper tantrums

Some of the information on this page is from the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Before Your First Visit

Please complete our appointment form and admission consents.

Complete Form

Meet Our Team

Read about our providers and their specialties.

learn more

Telehealth Services

Behavioral Health Services of Arkansas is offering telehealth services to allow our therapists to safely provide the uninterrupted, high-quality and personalized care you and your loved ones deserve.

Learn More

Before Your First Visit

Please complete our appointment form and admission consents.

Complete Form

If you need to contact us, please click here.

If you are having a medical emergency, please use a phone to dial 911.

Contact BHSA

If you have questions or comments, please feel free to use the information below to reach out to us. 

Address:
10 Corporate Hill Drive, Suite 330
Little Rock, Arkansas 72205
MAP

PHONE: 501-954-7470
FAX: 501-954-7420
EMAILcustomerservice@bhsarkansas.org

Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 8 am to 6 pm
Friday: 8 am to 5 pm