The 30 most common psychological symptoms

Symptoms are manifestations by the patient of a pathological state.. There are different types of symptoms, among which we can find physiological symptoms (for example, the acceleration of the pulse or rapid breathing), physical (for example, headache or dizziness) or psychological, whether affective, cognitive or perceptive.

Of the latter, the psychological symptoms, we will talk in this article.

Most frequent psychological symptoms

The psychological symptoms can be different depending on the type of disorder of the person. But, What are the most common psychological signs or symptoms?

Below you can find a list with the 30 most common symptoms of this type, and their characteristics:

1. Apathy

Apathy is the lack of interest and motivation towards external stimuli, for example, towards interpersonal relationships or towards life in general. In extreme cases, this reluctance is typical of depressive states and causes the person to feel weak and powerless, as it affects their motivation.

2. catastrophic thinking

Catastrophic thinking is associated with pessimistic people, and shows that something is happening inside the person. It is a distortion of reality in which everything is seen negatively and problems are anticipated even when they will occur. It can be a consequence of stress, anxiety and even depression.

3. Blaming others and the situation

When someone does not have enough self-esteem, self-confidence or is too sad, they usually blame others and the situation. This makes the person lose the capacity for self-leadership and self-motivation and, as a consequence, it is paralyzed (in addition to harming others in some cases). It often occurs together with learned helplessness.

4. Concentration problems

Concentration problems appear in a multitude of disorders, since when motivation is low, sadness takes over a person or the individual is experiencing a stressful situation, attention is usually directed within yourself and towards your recurring thoughts, which seriously hinders his concentration.

On the other hand, it may also happen that the main symptoms of the disorder have to do with alterations in consciousness and attentional focus, which can lead to experiencing inhibition insufficiencies and low control over behavior.

5. excessive grudge

Acceptance is one of the best ways to overcome painful situations and is necessary to find emotional stability. When the person is not able to accept the situation, resentment and constant criticism of others usually arises.

6. Vacuum sensation

The feeling of emptiness is common in mood disorders, in which the person seems to be experiencing an existential crisis. She feels frustrated at not finding her place in this world.

• Related article: “Existential crisis: when we do not find meaning in our lives”

7. blame yourself

A person can constantly blame themselves, which shows low self-confidence and self-esteem that needs to be worked on. It is a way to avoid facing problems that are presented

8. mental exhaustion

When a person suffers from emotional problems, stress or anxiety for long periods of time, your mind seems to reach a limit. It is what is known as psychological, mental or emotional exhaustion. The person needs a rest after so much suffering.

• You may be interested in: “Emotional fatigue: strategies to face and overcome it”

9. feeling of failure

This symptom appears intense and painful at times when the person does not have high confidence or self-esteem. It refers to a maladaptive emotion.

10. constant worry

Constant worry is a characteristic symptom of del Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The person always has a worrying thought in mind, on one or more topics that are considered very relevant. For example, if you are going to be fired from work.

Some physical and physiological consequences of this symptom can be: muscle tension, feeling of shortness of breath, accelerated heartbeat, dry mouth, etc.

11. Restlessness (anxiety)

Worry can cause a person to not feel calm, because anticipates dangers and has lost objectivity and the ability to think lucidly based on rational criteria.

12. affective distancing

Affective distancing is manifested in different disorders (for example, those of the mood or schizoid personality disorder) and significantly affects interpersonal relationships.

13. feeling of threat

In some disorders the person feels a constant threat. It is especially common in psychotic disorders, such as paranoid disorder, in which the person may come to believe that the whole world is against them and wants to hurt them.

14. feeling of inferiority

The feeling of inferiority appears when a person thinks that he is (and feels) less than others permanently. Is a clear indication that the person's self-esteem is low.

15. Feelings of being out of control

When someone does not have the necessary emotional balance or is going through a bad time in her life, she can feel out of control. That is You don't feel like you have your life under control.

16. Sadness

Although sadness is not a sufficient symptom to diagnose depression, it is a characteristic feature of this disorder. Temporary sadness is totally normal. the problem is when this symptom becomes chronic and makes it impossible for the person to function properly.

17. Melancholia

Sadness is a current feeling that makes you feel bad, on the other hand, melancholy has to do with a sad event related to the past and that makes us feel bad in the present. It is also characteristic of depressive disorder.

18. Low tolerance to frustration

This way of thinking is totally maladaptive. It has to do with low self-confidence in oneself and causes us not to successfully face the different situations that arise throughout our lives. Low frustration tolerance can lead to avoidance of some situationsFor example, in social phobia.

19. Disorientation

It is characterized because the individual presents a confusion as to the time and place in which one is. It can manifest itself in some psychopathologies such as Delirium tremens.

20. Emotional lability

The emotional lability is the inadequate affective expression, that is, disproportionate laughter or inappropriate crying. The emotional expression, therefore, does not fit the situation is exaggerated.

21. Drowsiness

Drowsiness is a feeling of tiredness, heaviness and sleepiness that usually appears when a person has a low mood. On the other hand, it is also common for drowsiness to be a side effect of psychotropic drugs consumed to treat the disorder or pathology.

22. Insomnia

Insomnia is the inability to sleep, and it can appear in different situations: when the person experiences anxiety, worry, stress or has problems to solve in her life. In addition, the problems derived from experiencing the disorder can cause problems when it comes to falling asleep, due to the added stress of having more worries.

23. Irritability

Irritability is an exaggerated response to stimuli. The person tends to get irritated by anything and can manifest mood swings. In addition, the interpersonal conflicts that appear as a result of this state of mind and predisposition to anger mean that even more reasons to experience stress accumulate.

24. irrational fear

It usually appears when a person has a phobia. It is a type of learned fear, which is not real, but rather anticipatory. That is originates from an imaginary, distorted and catastrophic thought. For example, the fear of flying.

• Related article: “The 16 types of fear and their characteristics”

25. feel like the victim

It manifests itself in the presence of a little resistant self-esteem, for which the person habitually plays the victim as a way to manage anger and anger. It is an avoidance response that serves as a short-term justification, but in the long run brings interpersonal conflicts and problems when evaluating the results of one's own decisions.

26. Feeling alone

This is because loneliness is a negative state of mind, which is linked to feelings of misunderstanding, sadness, and insecurity. this insecurity makes the person perceive that others do not understand him and they do not share their values ​​and tastes.

This perceived lack of understanding from others not only gives rise to a subjective feeling of isolation, but also makes us more likely to have health problems due to lack of hygiene and proper nutrition, as well as the psychological consequences that generate.

27. Want to hurt others

Anger and frustration can manifest as a vengeful state of mind or wanting to hurt others. On many occasions it remains just that, in a state of mind, in an idea. In others, however, an individual can behave violently.

28. depersonalization

Some mental patients experience a mental state characterized by they feel strange to themselves, your body and the environment around you. This, in turn, makes them more likely to adopt a pattern of decisions and actions that leads to loneliness.

29. Lack of hope for the future

The lack of motivation and the lack of vital objectives makes a person cannot visualize the future positively. Something that, in turn, also causes serious problems for the individual.

30. psychological blocks

Mental blockage is a psychological barrier that a person can impose on himself and that prevents him from clearly understanding some aspects of his life. The individual has the ability to hinder your own progress when it comes to achieving certain goals in your life.

• Recommended article: “Emotional blocks: what are they and how can we overcome them?”