On Saturday, Reddit user u/IncessantlyBoredasked, "What is a sign of a cry for help that isn’t obvious to the average person?" People provided fascinating, important examples of small behavioral changes in others that can be signs that something is wrong.
Here's what they shared:
1."Reaching out and being overly nice to friends both close and casual with the hope that they will reciprocate and eventually ask them how they’re doing, so that when they open up it’s not about being a burden, but because they were prompted to do so."
4."The person stops caring about their appearance and neglects their hygiene and grooming because in their mind they are thinking, 'It doesn't matter, so why bother?'"
6."When someone is constantly busy so they don’t give themselves time to think. Also, when someone gives up on a lot of basic things like cleaning or washing up because they can’t think about anything except what’s bothering them."
8."When someone has obviously been crying or tears up without apparent provocation, even in a very public setting, it can be a sign that they're in too much pain even to try masking it."
9."When they start cutting off contact. If that outgoing, happy person suddenly 'just isn't up to it,' or always says, 'Maybe some other time,' then something is wrong."
10."Marked differences in behavior where the person becomes way more positive and energetic than normal. We tend to think of these sorts of changes as being good, but any sudden and large enough change in behavior is something you need to keep an eye on. This is especially true if they are going from a very negative pattern of thinking/behavior into an uber-positive one very quickly."
12."Purposely avoiding sad and difficult topics. Sometimes when a person is constantly feeling like shit, the last thing they want to do is bring up more negativity when hanging out with people they enjoy being around. Oftentimes being with friends/family can be a brief escape from always feeling awful, and so bringing up negative topics can ruin this feeling of escape and make the depression feel never-ending and suffocating."
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is 1-888-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org. The Trevor Project, which provides help and suicide-prevention resources for LGBTQ youth, is 1-866-488-7386. You can also text TALK to 741741 for free, anonymous 24/7 crisis support in the US and UK from the Crisis Text Line.
