Mental Illness Myths and Facts
Can you tell the difference between a mental health myth and fact? Learn the truth about the most common mental health myths.
- Does having a mental illness means you are crazy?
- Are people with mental illness violent and dangerous?
- Are psychiatric medications bad or harmful?
- Does seeking help for mental illness leads to being neglected and make symptoms worse or dangerous?
- Does mental health issues occur when the devil or a departed soul enters the body?
- Is mental illness a death sentence?
NO. It means you are vulnerable. It means you have an illness with challenging symptoms – the same as someone with an illness like diabetes. Mental illness might alter your thinking, destabilize your moods & perception of reality, but doesn’t mean you are “crazy.” It means you are human and are susceptible to sickness and illness, the same as any other person.
NO. What makes it seem so is that whenever tragedies take place, the media is quick to judge the suspects and label them as “mentally disturbed” or “mentally ill.” Only 5% of violent crimes in the U.S. are committed by people with serious mental illness. There’s different between hate and mental illness. Realistically, hate is not a mental illness.
The unfortunate truth is that individuals with mental illness are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators. So, there’s no reason to fear a person with a mental illness just because of their diagnosis.
This is simply not true. Just like any other medical condition, mental illness is still an illness. For many with mental illness, medication is necessary, just like a diabetic will take insulin. For some individuals with mental illness, medication is needed for survival. For others, like those who have mild to moderate depression, anxiety, or ADHD, medication can help ease symptoms, so they can function normally. Also, having regular therapy combined with medication can greatly improve one’s quality of life.
It’s hard to come out to anyone about having a mental illness because they’re so commonly misunderstood. However, when you have the courage to open up to someone else, you are working to alleviate the stigma, increase awareness, empower yourself, grow as a person, and promote understanding of mental health.
So don’t let others perceptions scare you from getting the help you need. So together let’s stop the society from framing people as violent or “crazy” for having an illness that is beyond their control.
NO. Mental illnesses are caused due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Accepting such myths leads to people seeking treatment through faith healers. This can lead to their symptoms and difficulties being prolonged, and also contributes to the stigma around Mental health issues.
NO. Mental illness just like other medical conditions such as diabetes can be managed and sufferer live a normal life. What it just entail is adhering to treatment and continue usage of drugs.
