• Mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being, and mental illnesses are common and treatable.
• People experience symptoms of mental illnesses differently—and some engage in potentially dangerous or risky behaviors to avoid or
cover up symptoms of a potential mental health problem.
• Sometimes people—especially young people—struggling with mental health concerns develop habits and behaviors that increase the
risk of developing or exacerbating mental illnesses, or that could be signs of mental health problems themselves.
• Activities like compulsive sex, recreational drug use, obsessive internet use, excessive spending, or disordered exercise patterns can all
be behaviors that can disrupt someone’s mental health and potentially lead them down a path towards crisis.
• It is important to understand early symptoms of mental illness and know when certain behaviors are potentially signs of something
more.
• We need to speak up early and educate people about risky behavior and its connection to mental illness—and do so in a compassionate,
judgement-free way.
• When we engage in prevention and early identification, we can help reduce the burden of mental illness by identifying symptoms and
warning signs early—and provide effective treatment Before Stage 4.