Myths of Mental Illness

Myths about Mental Health

What is it?
Mental Illness includes a broad range of psychological or behavioral symptoms, which cause difficulties with an individual’s mental and emotional well-being, thereby reducing his or her capacity to cope with the demands and stress of daily life.

Myths
It is human nature to fear what we don’t understand. Since many people don’t understand mental illness, they fear it. Mental illness also carries a stigma (a mark or sign of disgrace), and that stigma prevents a significant number of people from seeking help. People use stigmatizing words like “crazy”“cuckoo,” “psycho,” “wacko” and “nutso.” Just as we wouldn’t mock someone for having a physical illness, we should not mock someone with a mental illness. The following are examples of some myths and facts:

Myth: Mental health problems do not affect children or youth. Any problems they have are just part of growing up.
Fact:  One in five children and youth struggle with their mental health. 70% of adult mental illness begins during childhood or adolescence. In North America, roughly one in every 10 children and adolescents has a mental disorder severe enough to cause impairment. However, only about 20 per cent of these children receive needed treatment. Left untreated, these problems can get worse. Anyone talking about suicide should be taken very seriously.

Myth: It is the parents' fault if children suffer from mental health problems.
Fact:  Mental health disorders in children are caused by biology, environment, or a combination of both. They can be caused by genetics or biological factors such as a chemical imbalance or prenatal exposure to alcohol or drugs. They can also be the result of abusive or neglectful treatment or stressful events.

Myth: Children misbehave or fail in school just to get attention.
Fact:  Behavior problems can be symptoms of emotional, behavioral, or mental problems, rather than merely attention-seeking devices. These children can succeed in school with appropriate understanding, attention, and mental health services

Myth: It is normal for teens to be moody; teens don’t suffer from “real depression”.

 Fact:  Depression can affect people at any age or of any race, ethnic, or economic group. About 5 – 8 % of children are depressed at any one time.

Myth: People with a mental illness are ‘psycho’, mad and dangerous, and should be locked away.
Fact:   Most people who have a mental illness struggle with depression and anxiety. They have normal lives, but their feelings and behaviors negatively affect their day-to-day activities. Conduct disorders or acting out behaviors are consistently the primary reason for referral to a children's mental health agency.

Myth: People with a severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, are usually dangerous and violent.
Fact:  Statistics show that the incidence of violence in people who have a brain disorder is not much higher than it is in the general population. Those suffering from a psychosis such as schizophrenia are more often frightened, confused and despairing than violent. People with mental illnesses are much more likely to be the victims of crime. You probably know someone with a mental illness and don't even realize it. The incidence of violence in schizophrenics is not much higher than in the general population.

Myth: Depression is a character flaw and people should just ‘snap out of it’.
Fact:  Research shows that depression has nothing to do with being lazy or weak. It results from changes in brain chemistry or brain function. Therapy and/or medication help people to recover. Depression is quite a common condition - about 15% of people will have a bout of severe depression at some point in their lives. However, the exact number of people with depression is hard to estimate because many people do not get help, or are not formally diagnosed. Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression as men, although men are far more likely to commit suicide. This may be because men are more reluctant to seek help for depression. Suffering in silence is not the answer - psychotherapy and/or medication have been shown to help.

Myth: Depression is a normal part of the aging process.
Fact:  It is not normal for older adults to be depressed. Signs of depression in older people include a loss of interest in activities, sleep disturbances and lethargy. Depression in the elderly is often undiagnosed, and it is important for seniors and their family members to recognize the problem and seek professional help.

Myth:  People with mental illness never get better.
Fact:  With the right kind of help, people with mental illnesses do recover and go on to lead healthy, productive lives. While the illness may not go away, the symptoms associated with it can be controlled.

Myth: Mental health problems are uncommon.
Fact:  Nearly 1 out of every 5 people in North America will have a diagnosable mental disorder within their lifetimes, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Myth:  Being suicidal means I'm crazy.
Fact:  Suicidal feelings are most often symptoms of depression or a related mood disorder. Feeling suicidal does not make you any more or less crazy than anybody else. Suicidal feelings go away once you begin to receive adequate care for your depression or other mood disorder. That's why it is so tragic when people actually succeed in taking their own lives... Had the person been receiving adequate treatment, they could be alive and feeling much less depressed and suicidal.

Myth: Psychiatric disorders are not true medical illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. People who have a mental illness are just "crazy."
Fact:  Brain disorders, like heart disease and diabetes, are legitimate medical illnesses. Research shows there are genetic and biological causes for psychiatric disorders, and they can be treated effectively.

Myth: Schizophrenia means split personality, and there is no way to control it.
Fact:  Schizophrenia is often confused with multiple personality disorder. Actually, schizophrenia is a brain disorder that robs people of their ability to think clearly and logically. The estimated 2.5 million Americans with schizophrenia have symptoms ranging from social withdrawal to hallucinations and delusions. Medication has helped many of these individuals to lead fulfilling, productive lives. About 1 of every 100 people develops schizophrenia; 1 of every 50 develops some other psychotic illness.

Myth: If you have a mental illness, you can will it away. Being treated for a psychiatric disorder means an individual has in some way "failed" or is weak.
Fact:  A serious mental illness cannot be willed away. Ignoring the problem does not make it go away, either. It takes courage to seek professional help.

Myth: Addiction is a lifestyle choice and shows a lack of willpower. People with a substance abuse problem are morally weak or "bad".
Fact:  Addiction is a disease that generally results from changes in brain chemistry. It has nothing to do with being a "bad" person. Over half of all alcoholics and drug addicts have a mental health problem. The most common are depression and anxiety disorders. Drugs and alcohol can be used as a way of dealing with emotional problems - treating the underlying problem can help with the addiction.

Myth: There's no hope for people with mental illnesses.
Fact:  There are more treatments, services, and community support systems than ever before, and more are in the works. People with mental illnesses lead active, productive lives.

Myth: I can't do anything for a person with mental illness.
Fact:  You can do a lot, starting with how you act and speak. You can create an environment that builds on people's strengths and promotes understanding. For example:

Myth: Mental illnesses don't affect me.
Fact:  Mental illnesses are surprisingly common; they affect almost every family in America. Mental illnesses do not discriminate—they can affect anyone.

Myth: Mental illness is the same as mental retardation.
Fact:  These are different conditions. Mental retardation is characterized by limitations in intellectual functioning and difficulties with certain daily living skills. In contrast, people with mental illnesses—health conditions that cause changes in a person's thinking, mood, and behavior—have varied intellectual functioning, just like the general population.

Myth: People with mental illnesses cannot tolerate the stress of holding down a job.
Fact:  All jobs are stressful to some extent. Anybody is more productive when there's a good match between the employee's needs and the working conditions, whether or not the worker has a mental health problem.

Myth: People with mental health needs, even those who have recovered, tend to be second-rate workers.
Fact:  Employers who have hired people with mental illnesses report good attendance and punctuality as well as motivation, good work, and job tenure on par with or greater than other employees. Studies by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) show that there are no differences in productivity when people with mental illnesses are compared to other employees. (Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, 1999)

Myth: Mental health problems only happen to people who are poor and/or less intelligent

Fact:  Mental health problems affect everyone equally regardless of income, class, race, culture, or intelligence.  Studies actually show that most people with mental illness have average or above-average intelligence.

Myth: Autism is a devastating disorder that will stop someone from ever being able to function in society.

Fact:  Many people hear “autism” and imagine children who are permanently in their own world where they can’t talk or interact with anyone else, who throw tantrums for no apparent reason, and who will never be part of normal society. However, autism is called a spectrum disorder for a reason: autistics range from people who are unable to communicate in any way with others, all the way to people who live ordinary, productive lives and just seem a bit eccentric to the rest of us. Severe autism is not a life sentence, either. Even very low-functioning autistics can lead a perfectly happy life.

Myth: People who intentionally cut, burn, or otherwise injure themselves are either trying to kill themselves or looking for attention.

Fact:  Many people, particularly teenagers, who suffer from a variety of mental disorders cope with their inner pain by physically harming themselves, most commonly by cutting. No matter what it looks like, self-injury is not a failed suicide attempt. Some self-injurers harm themselves over and over for years without having a single injury that would threaten their life. Many people who self-injure are actually trying to avoid suicide by letting out their feelings in a (somewhat) safer way.

Most self-injurers actively try to hide their injuries by wearing long sleeves or pants, or by cutting in a place that is usually covered by clothing, like their upper thighs or stomach. Some self-injurers desperately want someone to find out about their behavior so they can get the help they need, but even many of them are too frightened of another person’s reactions, and ashamed of themselves.