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Comparing adult, child, and adolescent Mental Health
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The chart below is only to show you some examples of what may be for people with depression or manic phases. The Information on this page is not meant to replace a qualified health care provider.
Depressed Phase
| depressed/sad mood | Irritable, argumentative, aggressive, whining/crying | Argumentative, aggressive, emotionally sensitive |
| diminished interest/pleasure, inability to feel pleasure | not as motivated or playful, not as curious and explorative, school work drops off, boredom | Isolative, quits activities, shows no initiative, grades drop, boredom |
| unintentional weight changes | Fails to gain weight normally | Weight changes |
| sleep changes | Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep | Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, stays up all night |
| being slowed down or sped up | Difficulty concentrating or sitting still, impulsivity, less active or interactive, hyperactive, disorganized | Difficulty concentrating or sitting still, impulsivity, less active or interactive, disorganized |
| fatigue | Needs rests, naps, complains when is pushed to do things, plays "sick" | Refuses to participate, lays around a lot, sleeps during day, acts "sick" a lot |
| worthlessness and guilt | Makes negative self-comments such as "You hate me" and "I'm stupid" | Makes negative self comments such as "I'm fat" "I'm ugly" "Everybody hates me" |
| poor concentration, can't make decisions | Poor attention and concentration, easily distractible, disorganized | Poor attention and concentration, easily distractible |
| thoughts of death or suicide | Talks about death, states "I wish I was never born" or "I wish I was dead" | Obsesses on death and morbid topics, voices wishes to be dead or thinks about/attempts suicide |
| Psychosis: hearing things, seeing things, or paranoia | Extreme fears for safety, seeing scary images, hearing monsters | Suspiciousness, paranoia, seeing fearful images or hearing their name called |
Manic Phase
| "great" mood: feels "on top of the world" "never felt better" | Extremely happy or giddy; extremely silly or sociable; may start feeling he has special powers or is a superhero; demands to be the center of attention | Extremely happy and sociable, may suddenly feel she is smarter/better/more beautiful than peers; inflated sense of self esteem |
| Much increased activity in specific areas, such as work, socializing or hobbies without fatigue | Spends lots more time than usual in activities, playing, helping parents out; everybody is a "friend" constantly wanting parents' attention | Starts new projects, spends much more time than usual in hobbies, starts making new friends and acquaintances; starts exercising or being busy excessively |
| Rapid, pressured speech: talks nonstop; others can't get a word in edgewise | Rapid, incessant speech. Doesn't allow others to contribute to conversation | Rapid, nonstop talking without listening to others; holds one-sided conversations |
| Needs much less sleep than usual | Difficulty going to bed, does not seem to need as much sleep at night as before, doesn't need naps during day | Starts staying up all night, being rested with only a few hours (or none) sleep |
| Thoughts and ideas seem to be racing, feels extremely creative or brilliant all of the sudden | Can't focus or concentrate on tasks or topics when talking, constantly has "great" ideas about things | Difficulty concentrating or sitting still, impulsivity, less active or interactive, disorganized |
| Impulsivity, rash judgments; doesn't think things through | Persistently intrusive and impulsive, can't wait turn, won't listen to parents' demands; very disruptive to others; poor frustration tolerance; rude | Starts disregarding rules of house, impulsive, poor judgment, can't hold himself back from what he wants; very disruptive to others; poor frustration tolerance |
| Increased sexual behaviors through ideas, speech and action | Shows sudden interest in gender/sexual issues; starts using foul language in a playful way; may masturbate or touch others; vulgar | Shows increased interest in sexual issues and dating; may masturbate in public or fondle others; increased involvement in pornography |
| Increased irritability and sudden uncharacteristic anger | Short tempered, anger and aggressive outbursts, easily frustrated when told "no" | Severe mood swings with aggressive outbursts, everything gets on his nerves |
| Becomes disorganized and inefficient with tasks despite putting much more effort in | Poorly organized behavior; quickly loses interest in demanding tasks; does things and says things that don't quite make sense | Grades drop; unable to do complex tasks or chores; seems to be "spacey" at times; does and says odd things without rational explanation |
| Psychosis: hearing things, seeing things, or paranoia | Extreme fears for safety, seeing scary images, hearing monsters | Suspiciousness, paranoia, seeing fearful images or hearing his name called |