Let’s talk about clarity – dispelling the myths about mental illness

MYTH: a widely held but false belief or idea

When you hear “mental health” or “mental illness,” what do you think of?

When you think of someone who is impacted by mental illnesses, what exactly are you picturing?

It’s normal for us to all have different images in mind – like I’ve touched on before, there are many mental illnesses. Presentation of symptoms may or may not be readily apparent, and the severity of them often operates on a continuum. Most importantly, our personal experiences and exposures really define the line between what we know and what we don’t know. So sure, everyone’s got an opinion on mental health, and that’s fine. Do you know what’s not as fine? Forming your opinion based on myths. There are tons of myths out there about mental illness, varying from what it looks or feels like, who gets to suffer from it, and how to treat it. If you’re a regular visitor to my blog, you know how in depth I’ve gotten about finding the facts about mental health.

On that note, it’s time to clear the haziness floating around mental health.

MYTH 1: Mental illnesses are not all that common.

Having a mental illness is more prevalent than you would think. As I’ve mentioned before in my first blog post, a remarkable 1 in 5 people in the U.S. experience mental illness. Even further, 1 in 25 people in the U.S. experience serious mental illness, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Mental illnesses can affect anyone and everyone – it does not discriminate against factors like age, race, income level, or religion.

MYTH 2: People with mental illnesses are violent and dangerous to society.

Studies have shown that individuals impacted by mental illnesses are actually more prone to being victims of violence. Indeed, a meta-analysis found that 1 in 4 people with mental illnesses will have become victim to violence in a given year. Even worse, the same analysis found that living with a mental illness leaves you four times as likely to experience physical, sexual, or domestic violence.

MYTH 3: Therapy is a joke. Taking a pill is the answer.

Treatment is not black and white. There are different classes of psychiatric medications such as anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication, mood stabilizers, and and anti-psychotics. Even further, some of these medications can be used off-label and interchangeably. The type of medication you use is dependent on each individual’s unique situation. It isn’t all one-size-fits-all either – some can improve your symptoms, while others can exacerbate them. Nonetheless, most evidence-based treatments for mental illnesses include some form of therapy and medication in combination, and have shown the best outcomes.

MYTH 4: People with mental illnesses can just ‘snap’ out of it. They just don’t want to.

All major psychiatric disorders, like schizophrenia and generalized anxiety disorders, have been proven to have heritable components. For example, bipolar disorder is said to be upwards of 75% inherited by offspring. Parental psychopathology cannot be overlooked here! Genetic vulnerabilities ultimately affect brain structure and function, such as neurotransmitters and neural connectivity. Complex gene by environment interactions also play significant roles in the manifestations of mental illnesses.

MYTH 5: People with mental illnesses need to be institutionalized.

While institutionalization is an unfortunate truth in psychiatric history, media has played a big part in perpetuating this myth. The truth is that very few individuals require long-term hospitalizations, and medical advancements have lead to progressive improvements in treatment.

MYTH 6: You can’t help someone affected by mental illness.

Less than half of those affected by mental illness receive treatment, and friends and family play huge roles in helping someone seek services and initiate treatment. In truth, you can do A LOT. It starts with how you act and how you speak. Here are some steps one can take:

• Take the time to learn about mental health and one’s mental health condition.
• Show interest and support in their treatment plan.
• Treat them with respect, just as you would treat anyone else.
• Prepare a crisis plan
• Use person-first language. Don’t imply that they are solely their mental illness.

MYTH 7: If you feel better, you must be cured.

Mental health doesn’t stay the same, and often goes up and down over the course of one’s lifespan. Treatment is often ongoing, and can improve one’s symptoms over time; although, this does not mean the problem goes away. It’s important to continue to your treatment plan, even if you feel ‘better,’ especially if your mental illness is more severe.

MYTH 8: It is impossible to prevent mental illness, so why waste our time?

In myth 4, we talked about how psychiatric disorders have heritability, but it is not certain. There are known environmental risk factors, such as exposure to trauma or violence, that can affect the chances of children, youth, or young adults developing mental illnesses. Research has shown that improving nutrition, housing and education or reducing economic insecurity have proven to reduce the prevalence of mental illness, particularly among those that are at higher risk.

There are so many more myths out there! The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has a list of other myths, and I encourage you all to check them out. As a refresher, NAMI is one of the largest mental health organizations, and they centralize their efforts in education and advocacy. Their media presence includes Twitter, so it that’s your jive, you can follow them @NAMICommunicate. Click on the tweet button below to send them your hellos!

Hey there NAMI!

Tweet

Take the first step in learning more about mental health, and spread the truth to others. Help teach others that having a mental illness is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about.

If I were to ask you again, what you think of when you hear mental illness or how you visualize someone impacted by one – what would you say?

See you next time!