Some signs of addiction include feeling the need to engage in the addiction daily, having intense urges, spending money on the addiction even when you don’t have it, engaging in risky behavior, and failing in your attempts to stop your addiction. [4] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source Addiction is harmful to your body, relationships, and emotions. If you have a problem with addiction, check out How to Overcome an Addiction for more information. Addiction can also co-occur with other psychiatric disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder.
For more information about treating an eating disorder, check out How to Treat an Eating Disorder.
Self-harming can include scratching, burning, or cutting your skin. You may bang your head, stick objects into your skin, swallow poisonous substances, or prevent wounds from healing. Self-harming is serious and can be life-threatening. If you’re struggling with self-harm, check out How to Recover from Self Injury. Self injury is a sign of Borderline Personality Disorder, so it is important to share this behavior with your therapist or health care provider so they can use this information for diagnostic purposes.
If you’re having consistent problems sleeping, ask yourself whether they may be related to unresolved trauma. It is important to practice good sleep hygiene and get between seven to nine hours of sleep a night. If you are not meeting this goal, then discuss this with your health care provider.
If you think, “I am bad” or “I am unworthy of love,” think about how these beliefs came to be and why you believe them.
You may feel down, sad, or helpless for no apparent reason. You may also feel chronically depressed with no break for at least two weeks. The most common symptoms of depression include the following mnemonic SIG E. CAPS: S= Sleep Problems; I= Lack of interest in normal activities; G= Feelings of Guilt; E= Lack of Energy/Fatigue; C= Problems with Concentration; A= Changes in your appetite; P= Psychomotor agitation; and S= Suicidal Ideation.
You may begin to feel sadness or anger, then move quickly past it or push it down and ignore it.
On the contrary, you may also seek out relationships with abusive people, take on a victim role, and re-confirm to yourself that you are unworthy of love. Relationship difficulties may indicate a need to protect yourself from being hurt.
This type of all-or-nothing/black-and-white thinking can create rigidness in your thoughts and behaviors. For example, if your unresolved trauma involved a male, you may begin to distrust all men or avoid interactions with men thinking that they are “bad. ”
Check out How to Overcome Depersonalization for more information.
If you feel suicidal, call emergency services or reach out to a suicide hotline. In the USA, call or text 988. You can also check out How to Stop Thinking About Suicide.
