From the belief that mental illness doesn’t exist to being able to just “get over it,” Danny Baker lists 13 myths surrounding mental illness that can hinder recovery.
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In no particular order, here are 13 of the most widespread myths surrounding mental illness in the 21st century.
- Mental illness doesn’t exist. Just because mental illnesses are invisible on the surface, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t real. We can’t see gravity, either – does that mean that that’s made up? Furthermore, through various brain image technology, it’s actually now possible to observe differences in the brain between people with certain mental illnesses and people without them.
- Mental illness is rare. On the contrary, approximately 1 in 4 people suffer from a mental illness.
- You don’t know anyone with a mental illness. Again, since mental illness affects 1 in 4, then unless you live by yourself on a raft in the middle of the ocean, then it’s almost certain that you do.
- If you have a mental illness, then it means you’re crazy. No! If you have a mental illness, then all it means is that you have a mental illness – a condition that can be treated just like physical illnesses can.
- Mental illnesses are lifelong and impossible to treat. I kind of gave the truth away in myth 4, but it’s worth emphasizing: treatments today are more refined than ever before, and as a result, most mental illnesses are able to be recovered from, or at the very least managed.
- If someone has a mental illness, than they’re to blame for it. While I do believe that sufferers need to take responsibility for their illness and be proactive in trying to recover, it’s critical to note that absolutely anyone can fall victim to a mental illness. Mental illnesses tend to be caused by a combination of genetics, brain chemical imbalances, psychological trauma and environmental stresses; since so much of this is out of a person’s control, then blaming them for developing a mental illness is extremely unfair.
- Only people who are weak ask for help. It’s really the complete opposite – it takes self-awareness to admit that you have a problem, and given the stigma surrounding mental illness, it takes a lot of courage to ask for support. And on a more fundamental level, seeking help is just the smart, logical thing to do. Just like physical illnesses, mental illnesses require treatment in order for the sufferer to recover – so if you want to get better and return to living a healthy life, then you have to get help. Otherwise your illness will always impair you.
- People with a mental illness can “just get over it”. Again, mental illnesses are illnesses. You can’t “just get over them”, in the same way you just can’t get over a physical illness like cancer.
- People with a mental illness are violent. This is nonsense perpetrated by the media and television shows. Numerous studies have shown this to be blatantly untrue. For example in the US, a nationwide study by NIMH showed that only 4% of violent crimes are committed by people with a diagnosed mental illness. Additionally, the study showed that people with a mental illness are 11 times more likely to be the victim of a violent crime than the general population.
- People with a mental illness are incompetent. Because mental illnesses are treatable, then most sufferers who are getting help are able to work and live productive lives. In fact, it’s well known that depression rates are particularly high in the legal profession, which is proof that people with a mental illness can still be extremely high functioning. Furthermore, since mental illness affects 1 in 4 people, chances are that you work with one or multiple sufferers, even if you don’t know it.
- Mental illnesses don’t affect teenagers – any problems they’re experiencing is just part of going through puberty. Granted that one’s adolescent years tend to be more of a roller coaster than most, but it’s ludicrous to assume that this is the root of all their problems and that it’s impossible for them to suffer from a mental illness. In fact, studies show that across Australia, the UK and the US, as many as 1 in 5 teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood – and that’s just one of a myriad of mental illnesses.
- People with a mental illness – particular those suffering from depression – are attention seekers or drama queens. In fact, it’s usually the opposite, which is why the majority of sufferers hide their pain with a smile, and why their most common response to “how are you” is “I’m fine”.
- I can’t do anything for someone with a mental illness. While it’s true that you can’t snap your fingers and make them recover, you can help immensely by being a good friend – by doing your best to understand them instead of judging them, by showing them respect, by listening to them when they need someone to talk to, and by putting your arm around them when they need your support.
What are some of the other mental illness myths you’ve heard? If you suffer from a mental illness, what are some you’ve heard that are specific to that particular illness?
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Photo: JenXer/Flickr
If you enjoyed reading my post, I encourage you to visit my website and download a FREE copy of The Danny Baker Story – How I came to write “I will not kill myself, Olivia” and found the Depression Is Not Destiny Campaign – which is my memoir recounting my struggle and eventual triumph over depression. I wrote it so that sufferers of the illness could realise they are not alone – that there are other people out there who have gone through the same excruciating misery, and who have made it through to the other side. I also wrote it so that I could impart the lessons I learned on the long, rocky, winding road that eventually led to recovery – so that people could learn from my mistakes as well as my victories – particularly with regards to relationships; substance abuse; choosing a fulfilling career path; seeking professional help; and perhaps most importantly, having a healthy and positive attitude towards depression that enables recovery. Multiple-bestselling author Nick Bleszynski has described it as “beautifully written, powerful, heartfelt, insightful and inspiring … a testament to hope.”
Read more:
14 Self-Care Practices That Can Help You Find a Happy and Healthy Life
Seven Reasons Why We Need to Eliminate the Mental Health Stigma
Depression is Not a Choice—But How You Handle it is
14 Genetics CAUSES Mental Illness There is only a relatively weak statistical association between genetics and mental illness. It is far from black and white. It is only a risk factor or predisposition. Mental illness can happen to anyone as a result of their environment and life. It is just that some people are more sensitive and vulnerable to a mentally unhealthy environment and life. So the modern epidemic of mental health problems is caused by society http://clinicalarts.blogspot.mx/2013/11/clinical-sociopathy-against-insane.html This clearly resolves the paradox of No6, blame and responsibility. Individuals and families are not to blame but they are still capable… Read more »
I really enjoyed this article. I am a huge mental health advocate myself–mental illness runs very heavily in my family. I was fortunate to come out with some milder illnesses fairly unscathed, but I can’t say the same about some of my loved ones. My sister is battling with schizophrenia. While ignorant, my family and I would make choices that ultimately alienated her and pushed her further away from us. We felt ultimatums could help her make better choices (like leave violent partners), but they did nothing more than make her more paranoid and suspicious of our intentions. Now that… Read more »
OK, so you don’t like my comment. It’s stuck in ‘Moderation’ because it’s the TRUTH and you allow it to post.
(There is automatic filtering in place where which if your comment has certain keywords in it, the comment will automatically put into moderation. From there human moderators go in and fish it. Your comment was in the moderation queue, waiting to be released. – GMP Moderator)
Well, I waited quite a while and refreshed my screen several times waiting for my post to show.
It Is What It Is.
That’s what moderators are supposed to do.
I like this piece. The stigma of mental illness is very strong and frightening. I suffered a psychotic break down as a teenager. Because of the attached stigma, it is not something I talk about. Pretty much only my husband knows. But mental illness runs in my family, and my teenage son battles depression. If I had had cancer, no one would say anything unkind. But because my illness was mental, largely from unbalanced brain chemistry, I have been attacked in the past for being “crazy”. I have seen people who are open about their mental illness ostracized and let… Read more »
That’s right Kathy LaPan: People will continue to avoid treatment for MI due to the Stigma. Most of the time the Stigma of Mental Illness is worse that the actual illness. Modern social mores (customs, practices, and habits) still discount and marginalize anyone who is known to have been in therapy or treatment for MI. It is used as an excuse to exclude. It leaves people vulnerable to being taken advantage of in Business because they are incompetent and no longer ‘credible’ in anything that they do. Just try to get a Security Clearance, or be vetted for the Political… Read more »
Hi Danny Fine article . Somehow I wish you found a better word than illness,since so many with severe long lasting emotion distress prefers it that way. Just like the black do not like the n…word. In the North of Finland persons no longer develop schizofrenia, due to the new treatment called open dialog. They nip in the bud so to speak immoderately when the first breakdown or psychoses appare. I hope scientists also will find a way to stop the development of personalty disorders. And doubt that we can say in 2013 that all types of personaly disorder can… Read more »
I have to disagree with you, the word “illness” is not derogatory at all, and comparing it to the “n word”, a word that can be hurtful and is representative of generations of oppression, seems silly to me. Illness, disorder, condition, they’re all synonyms and the author is merely using the language and terms that we have for mental health issues today.
On a positive note, I applaud this article for discussing mental health and hope to see more on this website. It’s definitely time we got rid of the taboo!
Hi Jasmyne
English is not my first language and I do not live in America,so I am not qualified to find good words.
How do we fight stigma?
But here is a website I often visit since I have had some years in therapy myself.
http://www.madinamerica.com/
And good luck with the discussion