Misconceptions About Mental Health

                  Mental health is receiving more attention. More people are aware of how mental illness is affecting people in different areas of life. Social media is full of mental health topics. On the surface this is a good thing. We need awareness to build acceptance. However, with the increased attention comes misconceptions. There is still a lack of true understanding when it comes to the impact of mental illness on people’s lives.

                  One misconception that has been around for a while is that people with certain mental illnesses are violent. This is a hurtful misconception. Most people with mental illness are not violent. I have read that people with mental illness are more likely to be the victim of violence than be the perpetrator. Unfortunately, when a heinous crime is committed the media starts questioning the suspect’s mental health. This increases the misconception that people with mental illness are violent or dangerous.

                  Another misconception involves the self-care movement. Don’t get me wrong self-care is important when dealing with mental illness, but it doesn’t cure a mental illness. All the meditation or bubble baths in the world are not going to make depression or bipolar disorder magically go away. Schizophrenia is not going to be cured by walks on the beach or yoga. Social media would like us to believe these strategies have curative powers. There is a place for meditation, yoga, bubble baths, and walks in nature. These self-care practices can lift mood and relax a person, but they do not make the illness go away. That is where the misconception lies. Mental illnesses are just that, illnesses. We would not tell a person with cancer or heart disease that these practices will cure their illness. Whether it is a mental or physical illness, self-care strategies can help alleviate symptoms, but they will not cure the illness. 

                  People often think that when a person has a mental illness such as depression, their life is constant doom and gloom. People assume a person cannot function with mental illness. This could not be further from the truth. There are many people who live ordinary lives, who function without being noticed. Many of us with depression can maintain a work life and a family life. We deal with our illnesses in private. Often, we are forced to do this because of stigma.

                  There are many people who spout off the latest social media quote about mental illness and then when encountering a person with mental illness fall back on outdated ideas about the illness. The misconceptions above are just some of the ideas that lead back to stigma and force people with mental illness into the darkness of their illness. It is important that we talk more about mental illness and mental health. As Glenn Close stated, “What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, more unashamed conversation about illnesses that affect not only individuals, but their families as well.”

                  We can encourage mental health practices such as meditation without assuming it is a cure for mental illness. When someone says that a crime was committed because the suspect has a mental illness, we can speak up and point out that a mental health diagnosis does not mean a person will be violent. We can recognize that mental illnesses are illnesses and acknowledge that they will manifest differently in each individual. Misconceptions about mental health can be harmful. We need to work to overcome these misconceptions. It is important to be honest and realistic. The more we acknowledge the truth about mental health/mental illness, the more likely lives of people will improve.