Get Happy, Be Happy, Stay Happy

In an article about when a coaching client may need to be referred to a mental health professional, author and coach Lynne Meinke notes the top 10 indicators. She is right that the client needs professional help, and I don’t want to detract from her excellent advice. However, these signs may not be signaling a mental health problem, but a common, often undiagnosed physical problem — adrenal fatigue or hypoadrenia.

Here are the 10 indicators that Meinke details in her Choice article (get the PDF):

Top 10 Indicators to Refer to a Mental Health Professional

The appearance of any one of these indicators (except for #10 which must be dealt with immediately), does not necessarily indicate the immediate need for a referral to a mental health professional; everyone can experience a brief episode of any of the indicators. However, if you see that several indicators are emerging or that a pattern of several indicators is developing and that the client is not presenting as whole, competent, capable and resourceful, then it is time to begin discussing a referral to a mental health professional.

Your client:

1. Is exhibiting a decline in ability to experience pleasure or an increase in being sad, hopeless and helpless
2. Has intrusive thoughts or is unable to concentrate or focus
3. Experiences erratic sleep patterns or sleeps excessively
4. Experiences eating problems
5. Is feeling overly guilty
6. Has feelings of despair or hopelessness
7. Is being hyper-alert and/or excessively tired
8. Has increased irritability or outbursts of anger
9. Has impulsive and risk-taking behavior
10. Has thoughts of death and/or suicide

Any or all of these indicators can be the result of adrenal exhaustion. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, take this burnout quiz.

If you suspect that you have adrenal fatigue, I highly recommend that you read Dr. James Wilson’s book Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome.