Health Experts: How to Spot the Mentally Unstable

Thinkstock/Comstock(WASHINGTON) --   In the wake of the massacre in Norway, health officials are responding to questions of how people can recognize a person near a violent mental breakdown, according to a report in HealthDay.

Health experts say people with an affinity for violence can be fixated on an overvalued idea -- an obsessive belief not to be confused with a delusion.

Doctors described the calm behavior after a long period of violent rhetoric as a major red flag. A troubled person's resolution to act out on his or her overvalued idea can bring on a spell of euphoria -- a calm before the storm.

Doctors urge people to reach out to the person if this warning sign arises. Offering oneself as a vent can help make the person more willing to seek help.

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