10+ Times People Realized Their “Personality Trait” Was Actually a Mental Health Issue

We all have quirks, habits, and ways of thinking that make us who we are. Maybe you’ve always been the “overthinker” in your friend group or the one who struggles with motivation. It’s easy to chalk these things up to personality, but what if they’re actually signs of an underlying mental health issue?

People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder shared how often they thought they were "just lazy."

• I just assumed that everyone’s mind worked like mine and that I was just lazy.
  I only got diagnosed at 50, after one of my kids was diagnosed. He was talking about how his mind works to me and my wife, and she was “Huh?” and I was “Yeah,” and I realized... - Old_System7203 / Reddit
• "I just assumed that everyone’s mind worked like mine, and I was just lazy."
  This resonates so strongly with me. I’m 44 and was diagnosed only a few weeks ago. I was shocked… But looking back, it now makes so much sense. - StatementNo5286 / Reddit
• I was even convinced that the people making demands of me were the weirdos with totally unrealistic expectations. - Backrow6 / Reddit
• My dad doesn't get it, but he loves me, so he tries. He asked whether the meds are improving my quality of life, and if so, how so.
  My response was: Yes! Oh my God, absolutely! If I needed to brush my teeth, the process used to be 1) sit up, 2) stand up, 3) walk to the bathroom, 4) find the toothbrush, 5) find toothpaste, 6) unscrew the toothpaste lid...you get the idea. Now?
  Now I think 1) "My teeth need brushing," and 2) I go brush my teeth. From the outside, nothing has apparently changed, but the amount of effort it took me to accomplish the task is quite literally exponentially easier because my brain isn't inserting itself into every single second of my thoughts and actions.
  When I finished, he just sat there for a second and said, "Well, that's how I do it." I know, Dad; nothing wrong with that. But maybe one day it'll click for him too. - kea1981 / Reddit

Anxiety issues can often resemble introversion because both can involve withdrawing from social situations, needing time alone, and feeling drained by too much interaction. Anxiety can also manifest through physical symptoms that may be misinterpreted.

• One of the more subtle (to me) symptoms is irritability and anger. I'll get annoyed, frustrated, and angry a lot easier than normal. I had unfortunately alienated some friends and family before I learned this, which didn't help. - CelticGaelic / Reddit
• Constantly being irritable. - Money-Mycologist1983 / Reddit
• This, but feeling like everything around you (sounds, movement, and people) is berating you from all angles. So basically yeah, irritability, lol. - MaskedL1zard / Reddit
• Rashes! Feeling like you’re going to vomit before doing something causes you anxiety. Waking up tired. Staying busy and then feeling burnt out. All a shock I had when exposing this to a doctor and learning, yeah, it’s the anxiety. - UncannyVall / Reddit
• I have muscle pain and tightness in my neck, back and chest. My jaw hurts from clenching it without realizing it. - sdias90 / Reddit

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is more than a quirk, although it can sometimes appear as being overly controlling.

• I just think OCD is clouded by this idea of what it is portrayed as. Yes, tapping and flicking switches and staying clean. I am more in my head with these things. The thought loops, the obsessive reassurance seeking, etc.
  I find it so hard to explain to others. I even told my therapist (after getting an OFFICIAL DIAGNOSIS, mind you). And she questioned me. I explained my symptoms, and she said, "I feel like everyone does that" (in regards to questioning things repetitively, etc.).
  The difference is I stay up late sometimes. I can't distract myself from certain things. My fears/obsessions jump from place to place, and I really struggle to describe them. I've had several people now say the same thing. "Doesn't everyone do that?"
  When I try to list my symptoms. I feel inadequate. I feel like I'm not justified in my struggle, and I'm not OCD "enough." - Fluid_Range9093 / Reddit
• Had it since I was a kid but didn’t get diagnosed until I was 30. I knew the things I was doing as a kid were weird, but honestly, I always thought I’d grow out of it. I didn’t, and it just kind of became me. I’m always counting everything, and things need to fit my numbers—1, 3, 5, 9.
  Say, I’m walking down a hallway, and my hand hits the wall by accident. Now I need to do it with my other hand in the exact same fashion—same pressure, same part of the hand, same touch, really. But now my hand has hit the wall two times; I need to do it one more time to hit 3. I can’t stop at 2.
  If I mess it up and do it wrong, I have to redo it, but I also have to redo it on the other side, and sometimes that can result in one of those movie-style cycles of flipping a light switch or whatever a bunch of times. If I don’t do it, it’ll consume me until I do.
  I went days one time filled with so much anxiety because I touched a brick at my friend's house but couldn’t get my second and third touches in without looking weird. I tried doing it with a brick at home, but it didn’t work. The way it plagues my mind until I can complete it is indescribable. I saw that friend maybe a week later and immediately touched that brick two more times. - Hot_Pomelo7963 / Reddit

• When I eat, I’m counting how many times I chew, but also how many chews are on each side. 5 on each side is nice because 5+5=10 and 1+0=1, and 1 is one of my numbers. I know it takes me 21 steps to get from my office chair to the refrigerator.
  My parents always told me to keep it to myself, but I’d throw fits if the car’s radio volume was on a bad number, or I missed stepping three times in between a set of sidewalk lines. It’s baked into everything I do. I do woodworking as a hobby and have never built something with a measurement on a bad number; I’d rather work around it or find a different way to do it.
  You’d never know any of this was going on in my head if you knew me. I’m a very normal dude. But I’m always counting, and the numbers have ruled my entire life. Hope that makes sense. - Hot_Pomelo7963 / Reddit

• Planning my next tattoo! It will be a more fun typeface. :) How do you guys all feel about getting inked as an OCDer? At one point I simply never thought I'd get one because I couldn't even stand pen ink on me without having to wash it off immediately!! But after my first, I want so many more! - wellglorb / Reddit

Bipolar disorder seems to manifest in a more obvious way, although it can still be misdiagnosed.

• Selling everything I owned, marrying a guy I swore I wouldn't marry (at our yard sale... while I was in yoga pants, a hoodie, and a foot cast), moving halfway across the country to a state I had never visited before, then cheating and ending the marriage. All within 4 months of starting an antidepressant.
  Pretty clear signals when you line it up that way. - noneofthisisevenreal / Reddit
• I suspect that I possibly am. Will receive the psych evaluation report soon. I have had insomnia since I was 12. Lots of depression. Highs and low moods constantly throughout the day. Rumination. Messy room. Struggle to plan for the future. Struggled to keep past jobs that bored me or made me slightly uncomfortable.
  As of this year, depression has gotten worse for a while. I started having more stress, and I got angry to the point I didn't recognize myself. I was very angry for a long time. Lethargic feeling. Feeling out of place. Looking from the outside in.
  Unconnected to the body. Enjoyed the attention and thrill of energy. Got a dopamine hit from spending boo-koo money. I struggle with managing money, especially saving money. - StrangelyWiseOutlier / Reddit
  You should also get an ADHD eval. A lot of the signs are very similar to BP. - Redheaded_Loser / Reddit

Memory issues can point to trauma (both from a single event or prolonged stress).

• Trauma can cause memory loss. I have experienced it. Our brains block out some memories sometimes because they're too painful, in order to protect us. - Mysterious-Ad-1214 / Reddit
• PTSD and CPTSD do, in fact, cause both short- and long-term memory loss. Quite notorious for it! This is your brain's way of protecting you, and memories will often start being released if you dig them up or when the brain finds you are in a safer position to process. - dancingonsaturnrings / Reddit
• Yes, and other MH issues can as well. Depression, for example. When one gets really depressed, your brain literally doesn't want to use the energy to make memories, so it just...doesn't. Fascinating, really. - cometostay / Reddit
• It definitely can cause short-term memory loss, as well as concentration/focus problems. It can make daily simple activities hard to do too. - Mysterious-Ad-1214 / Reddit

Autism spectrum disorder can be mistaken for social awkwardness.

• I had horrendous difficulty going shopping when I was a kid, and couldn't ever attend something as loud as fireworks without covering my ears the whole time. I couldn't be bathed as a baby/toddler without freaking out. I failed at wearing training bras at 11-12.
  Just a whole bunch of really obvious sensory problems and a lifetime of being told you're "acting difficult" or "overreacting" to things that were actually really, really tough to deal with turned out to be Asperger's. As kids, we're forced to face our fears and sit with our panic far more than other children. - Unknown author / Reddit
• Cool, dark rooms are the best! I find the lighting in the office to be painfully bright, and I like wearing a hat or hooded sweatshirt to give me some shade. Sometimes someone will turn the lights off, and we just have the daylight coming in the window, and it’s like an instant wave of relaxation.
  My parents used to call me a mole because I liked to wrap up in a blanket (and still do). - No-Location-6360 / Reddit

High-functioning depression (also known as dysthymia or persistent depressive disorder) can hide behind certain personality traits that make it harder to recognize.

• I’ve got it. It developed due to a dysfunctional childhood home environment. It means that I mask my symptoms very, very well, have terrible difficulty asking for help, and by the time I’m desperate enough to seek help, I’m in crisis.
  It also means that when I’m not in crisis, most people have no idea that I’m struggling, as I don’t present as having depression. - Starflower311 / Reddit
• I think I can relate. I am a high-functioning person with depression. I’ve been in treatment for a long time now, so I am much, much better, but even at my worst, I remained a good employee. Good, nothing else but managing life and facing the world in a composed way.
  It really helps to talk it over with someone, ideally a professional, to get an outsider's perspective, a bird's-eye view, so to speak. I hope you understand yourself better. Reach out for whatever help you need! - corwe / Reddit

It’s natural to embrace certain traits as just part of who you are—but self-awareness is key. If any of these signs resonated with you, it might be worth exploring them further. Mental health isn’t about putting yourself in a box; it’s about recognizing when something is holding you back and taking steps toward a healthier, more fulfilling life.