For the record: I was not abused and I was not a part of a traumatic situation as a child, in fact I had so much love and opportunity given to me. There were moments, when I heard those negative words, that had me seriously questioning my ‘wrong’ existence but doesn’t everyone hear mean or unhelpful words in their young life? Does it shape who they are? For me, yes, hurtful words hurt for a very long time. They helped shape my personal foundational beliefs about myself. You could say my early foundation of self-beliefs were cracked from the beginning. But again, is this enough to skew the direction of the path, to a large degree, of someone’s life moving forward?
I would bet that it depends on the person. For me, the early belief that ‘I was not good enough being who I was’ combined with something in my brain (serotonin issue?) and a few ‘fun’ personality traits (ie. perfectionist, extremely competitive, seriously low self-esteem), it was enough to skew my life path in a prominently negative way. And to be clear again, when I say ‘negative way’ I mean a negative way on the ‘inside’ because from the ‘outside’ you would never know.
What about you? Have you always struggled inside? Or have you struggled because of a certain event? Or did you reach a certain age and then some switch ‘flipped’ inside?
Behavioral News from the Georgetown Behavioral Hospital website (gbhoh.com) has posted the following interesting article:
What Age Does Mental Illness Start?
Do most people develop a mental illness as a child? In their 20s? Or much later in life? While mental illness can begin at any age, some statistics show that mental illness most often begins by age 14. However, the onset of mental illness can vary greatly depending on the condition.
At What Age Do You Get Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder can start in childhood, during the teen years, in mid-life, or even when you are much older. The most common age for bipolar disorder to begin is 17.3 years, according to a scientific review published in 2020. Of course, that doesn’t mean that everyone is going to see signs when they are exactly 17.3 years old. Instead, the study identified three groups with different ages at the onset.
The three groups became mentally ill at different average ages. The early-onset group average was 17.3 years old when they received their diagnosis. The mid-onset group was 26, and the late-onset was 41 on average. Still, some people were diagnosed in early childhood, though this is rare. Even elderly people can get a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
When Can You Get Depression?
The symptoms of depression are similar to the symptoms of bipolar depression, but you do not have any manic symptoms. People usually get their first symptoms at the following times:
Early-onset: 17
Median onset: 26
Late Onset: 34
Diagnosis usually comes after people have noticed symptoms for a significant amount of time. People with depression are usually diagnosed, on average, at these times.
Early: 21
Median: 35
Oldest: 46
When Do Signs of Schizophrenia First Show Up?
Schizophrenia is a chronic disease that requires constant care. It can be very helpful to get a diagnosis as early as possible. When might you first notice symptoms of schizophrenia? The most common age to start seeing symptoms is during the mid-to-late 20s. However, many people’s symptoms start as late as their mid-30s.
If you have these symptoms before age 18, that is called early onset. Very rarely, a child under the age of 13 may have symptoms of schizophrenia.
At What Age Could You First Experience Anxiety Disorders?
Anxiety can be extremely difficult to live with. These disorders can disrupt your life, causing you to feel highly uncomfortable and fearful. Some types of anxiety bring avoidant behavior such that you fear leaving your home, being left alone, or being in specific situations.
Three types of anxiety disorders have a mean onset of 15 years old, including:
Separation anxiety
Specific phobias
Social phobia
Other anxiety disorders appear most often between the average ages of 21.1 and 34.9 years. Here are some disorders that most often show up between these ages.
Agoraphobia
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
PTSD
Panic disorder
