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Understanding Symptoms

Although mental disorders do not look the same on any two people, it is important to understand how symptoms may look. Understanding symptoms of different mental disorders and eating disorders in short scenarios will make it easier to recognize them in a friend or family member.

These scenarios are NOT an opportunity to self-diagnose. The scenarios presented are just for educational purposes, based on research, and are not diagnosis. 

Scenario 1

For the past few months, Alex hasn’t felt like their usually cheerful self. They used to love to draw, but now their sketchbook sits idly in the corner, untouched for weeks if not months. Whether they sleep 8 hours or 4, they always feel tired, and small tasks—like texting a friend back or finishing homework— feel nearly impossible. They don’t laugh as much as they used to, and when they do, it feels forced. Things that usually feel rewarding don’t bring them joy, and they feel like their friends and family would be better off without them. Self-blame consumes their every moment, and sometimes, they doubt things will ever get better. It feels like this feeling will always remain, and they can’t help but wish for an easy escape.

Scenario 2

Aaron sat in class, unable to focus on his teacher's words. He tried desperately to concentrate, but he just couldn't. His shoulders felt tense from a restless night of attempted sleep, and his head was pounding. His teacher called on him and he looked up, his mind blanking completely. He didn’t know what his teacher had said and now he had to answer the unknown question. He gulped, feeling his armpits dampen. His heart pounded rapidly in his chest. His teacher told him it was okay if he wasn’t sure of the answer, but he couldn’t speak. His choppy breathing wouldn’t allow him to speak. So, he just sat there as his teacher moved on, worrying about his grades, his part-time job and his lack of sleep. 

Scenario 3

For the last months, Benjamin has felt elated. He has barely slept, but remains full of energy. He and his friends had planned a month-long trip to Europe, for which he hoped to leave the next week. He had quickly paid for everyone’s tickets and living expenses. The only downside was he was easily irritated and responded aggressively when triggered. Since a week ago, his excitement and irritability has shifted. He canceled all of his upcoming plans, not wanting to spend time with his friends. He felt constant hopelessness, and it felt like it would last forever. He skipped baseball practice every day for the last week, and had no intention of returning, despite baseball being his favorite activity. As he sat with his homework, his stomach growled and he couldn’t focus on it for more than five minutes, a prior conversation with his mother nagging at him. He anxiously combed over the conversation, feeling guilty about the way he spoke to her. To add to the guilt, he remembered walking home from school earlier, his mind clouded with thoughts that would not leave him alone.

Scenario 4

Every time Mia leaves the house, she checks the door three times to make sure it’s locked. If she doesn’t, a wave of panic rushes over her, convincing her something bad will happen. In class, she rewrites her notes until they look "just right," even if it means falling behind. Whenever she gets in close proximity with trash or other things deemed “dirty”, she needs to reassure herself that it will be fine. Additionally, she overthinks little conversations with every person, worrying she said something immoral or wrong. Inappropriate and unwanted thoughts pop into her head and plague her mind, leaving her with little room to breathe, and as hard as she tries, she cannot rid her mind of them and she cannot truly ignore them, though she does pretend to. It’s exhausting, but if she doesn’t follow these routines, the anxiety becomes unbearable; the thoughts would consume her mind and ultimately, her life. In a way, the thoughts have already eaten away at her mind and consumed it. 

Scenario 5

Leslie was startled by her friend asking her a question, bringing her back to the real world. She felt her heart racing in her chest, as flashes of a fire and a red toyota flashed through her mind. She tried to steady her breathing, but ultimately failed. Her lack of sleep didn’t prevent her from staying alert, her head on a swivel at all times. Her friend who was talking to her was a newer face, but had become her best friend. She had stopped talking to her old best friend, Maddie, after the accident, her presence only reminding Leslie of Maddie’s brother, who had passed away in the accident. She felt detached as her new friend continued to speak, watching the road from her café seat. Guilt rushed through her as she realized what a terrible friend she was being, trying to turn her attention back to her best friend. At that moment, a red car (or was it a blue car?) raced by carrying two boys, driving way too fast. She worried they would be hurt. Her mind remained on those two boys for the rest of the day.

Scenario 6

Peter turned around in class, watching as two of his classmates whispered. He suspected they were talking about him. He faced forward again, trying to forget about his two classmates, but he couldn’t stop wondering what they were saying, and whether or not it was about him. As he left class, he was joined by Jeremy, who he had previously spoken to a couple of times. Jeremy was the closest thing he had to a friend. “Nice kicks,” Jeremy said to Peter. Peter glared at him, offended by the taunting remark. Nice kicks? Was Jeremy complimenting his shoes? Or was it sarcasm? Simply a snide remark at his year old Jordans? He suspected it was the second one. Peter concluded that like everyone else in the world, Jeremy only wanted to put him down. 

Scenario 7

Sophie is constantly worried about how she looks and feels that she needs to lose weight. She often skips meals, claiming she isn’t hungry, even when eating out with friends. On the rare occasions that she does eat, she measures her food carefully and feels guilty afterward, convinced she’s overeating, despite barely touching her food. Sophie spends hours exercising, trying to burn off every calorie she consumes. Her clothes hang loosely on her, and her friends have noticed she seems tired and cold all the time. She often feels muscle soreness and feels dizzy for no apparent reasons. At one point, she had fainted out of nowhere, and this raised concerns from her friends and family. Despite their concerns, she insists she’s fine, but her fear of gaining weight keeps her trapped in a cycle that she cannot break and is anything but healthy. 

Scenario 8

Hannah was ashamed of her own eating habits. Just an hour ago, she had eaten half a pizza pie, a tub of ice cream, two bags of chips and a burrito. She wasn’t sure why she ate all of that food, all she knew was, she couldn’t stop once she started. It was a habit she had gotten into recently, eating a lot of food in less than an hour, and she always did it when she was alone. After eating, she felt so guilty she wasn’t sure what to do. She knew she couldn’t tell anyone, so she just did what she always did. She walked to the bathroom, put two fingers near the back of her throat, and let the tears fall down her face as the contents of her meal came back up.

Scenario 9

For the last six months, Mei has felt an increasing inability to pay attention, both at school and at home. Whenever her parents or teachers try to speak to her, she is unable to focus on what they are saying, which frustrates her. She rarely completes any of her school work and homework, due to not understanding the assignment and often finds herself fidgeting. Her inorganization has caused her to forget activities on multiple occasions, and whenever she tries to talk to people, she cannot stop and ends up taking over the conversation. During the times she engages in conversation with others, she often interrupts them, leaving her peers agitated. Her teachers have noticed she constantly taps her fingers or her foot when she does work, and the sound distracts the other kids. She feels like she is unable to make friends, and this fact leaves her joyless. 

Scenario 10

In recent months, Ana has felt isolated from her peers and the rest of the world. Though sometimes she feels like herself, there are a lot of times where she is unable to spend time with her peers and her friends due to various reasons. It is partly due to her own withdrawal from activities, but it is also because of her inability to filter herself. This causes her to respond and act in an inappropriate manner that offends her peers, which makes less inclined to spend time with her. Sometimes, she speaks what she believes are words, but instead illogical phrases come out of her mouth. What frightens her friends the most is that at times, Ana hears voices talking to her and her friends, and they all claim there are no voices. She is unsure why. Despite her inappropriate actions, she is well aware her peers still spend time with her because she is the daughter of a billionaire. She brought this up with her boyfriend once, saying “Babe, are you dating me for money?” His ridicule of a response only confused her more: “I would never date you, you poor loser”.

Scenario 11

In the last few years, Ravi has started becoming increasingly forgetful. There are periods of time where he lacks memory of what has occurred in his life, especially when he starts to experience strong emotions and during intense situations. He doesn’t have a medical condition that causes this, and he has never gotten an injury that would impair his memory. At one point, he had almost forgotten his own name, which extremely confused him. Sometimes, people would comment on things he has done or said, but he has no recollection of doing those things. These events make him feel extremely isolated and disconnected, and he is unsure what is causing it. 

Answer Key

Scenario 1 - Depression; Scenario 2 - Anxiety, Scenario 3 - Bipolar Disorder; Scenario 4 - OCD; Scenario 5 - PTSD; Scenario 6 - Paranoia; Scenario 7 - Anorexia (eating disorder); Scenario 8 - Bulimia Nervosa (eating disorder); Scenario 9 - ADHD; Scenario 10 - Schizophrenia; Scenario 11 - Dissociative Identity Disorder

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