Do I Need Help?

Sometimes you just don't know if you need psychological help. You might be unhappy, nervous, dissatisfied, or otherwise troubled, but you aren't sure if it is really a problem you should seek help for.

We suggest you use these lists only to see if your own experience fits into what might be a treatable condition. If you find it does, or if it makes you wonder, we encourage you to seek the professional opinion of a psychologist or physician. By training and licensure, only a psychologist or physician can make diagnoses of mental disorders.

Click on the topic below to get more information about the particular disorders in each category.

Category	Possible Warning Signs and Clues
Adjustment Disorders	Sadness, anxiety, or behavioral changes in response to some recent event or ongoing stressor. In children, you also can see anger, withdrawal, a deterioration in school performance, or regression to more childlike behaviors (e.g., thumb-sucking, bedwetting).
Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse	You worry sometimes about your substance use, or someone else expresses concern; substance use is one of the most important parts of your life; you miss work due to hangovers or being out late; you are not performing as well at work, school, etc.; DUI's. In teenagers, warning signs include skipping school, deterioration in grades, changes in peer group, unusual spending patterns, and giving up favored activities.
Anxiety	Periods of intense anxiety or panic, feeling fearful in certain situations, or worrying much of the time. In addition to these, children can become "clingy" and have trouble separating from parents. They may resist going to bed or have trouble sleeping. Whining, becoming demanding, tantrums, and regression (e.g., bedwetting) also could reflect anxiety.
Attention and Learning	Not living up to your potential, struggling to learn, inability to sustain attention, or having problems with particular academic subjects.
Child Behavior Problems	Refusal to follow rules, refusal to obey legitimate authority figures, difficult to manage, poor peer relationships, isolation, fighting, destructive behavior.
Chronic Pain	Chronic pain often can be helped with psychological interventions geared toward managing the pain more effectively and allowing a more normal life.
Dementia and Memory Problems	Forgetfulness, difficulty learning new information, problems with finding words or understanding language, difficulty processing information or being much slower at it.
Depression	Feeling unhappy, losing pleasure in life, problems with sleeping/eating/energy, feeling like life is a strain, irritability, etc. In addition to these, children might become "mopey" and show changes in behavior, school performance, and peer relationships.
Divorce	Issues related to divorce and recovery.
Mania	Feeling too happy or energetic for your own good, excessive irritability, mood swings, racing thoughts, rapid speech, impulsive behavior.
Personality Disorders	Difficulties with handling emotions, self-regulating your behavior, maintaining healthy relationships, accurately viewing the world, and meeting your responsibilities.
Relationships	Unsatisfying relationships, frequent anger, preoccupied with leaving a relationship, infidelity or strong temptation.
Schizophrenia & Other Psychoses	Problems with mental disorganization, hallucinations, or delusions.
Stress	Frequent tension, irritability, insomnia, feeling overwhelmed, distractibility, hurrying to deal with one crisis after another, feeling burned out, hypertension, reflux disease.
Suicide	Warning signs for suicide and what to do if someone might be suicidal.