What are the significant warning signs that one or more parents may have a mental illness?
Chueh: If they have any type of physical decline, they should be evaluated. Behavioral changes or changes in attitude are major signs that something is wrong. An example might be a mother who used to be very active and going out all the time with friends but now doesn’t leave the house very often. Not doing things they enjoy or not wanting to be with the people they normally care about are significant signs of depression or dementia. Other possible signs might be a declining loss of some normal physical functions, such as not driving a car well (or not driving at all), unsteadiness on their feet, or impaired vision. Early signs would be not doing their hobbies as much, loss of interest in food, decrease in appetite, not going out as much things along those lines. Of course, there are many more obvious signs like short-temperedness or loss of memory. When they start having memory loss or they wander off away from home and have to be returned by the police, those are much later signs. It
