Mental Health

“Research shows that mental illnesses are common in the United States, affecting tens of millions of people each year. Estimates suggest that only half of people with mental illnesses receive treatment,” says the National Institute of Mental Health. Unfortunately, in many parts of the United States (and the world), many people hold stigma and misconceptions about mental illnesses and disorders which serve as a deterrent for those seeking treatment.

In order to break down the stigma surrounding mental illness, we need to address the misconceptions and the myths people believe about mental health. While harder to see, mental illnesses are just as real as physical illnesses. To start . . .

1. Mental illnesses are just in your head. You don’t need treatment, just get over it.

In short, this is just blatantly wrong.

Mental illnesses are real diseases whether or not they have any physical signs. Depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, ADHD--and many other mental disorders and illnesses--are very real problems that many people face. No one asks to be depressed, and no one asks to have anxiety. The solution isn’t something as simple as “getting over it” or “being happy.”

For instance, imagine that you’ve gone through a loss--say, the loss of a loved one. Imagine the grief you’d go through. Now imagine if someone came up to you and told you to “just be happy” and to “just get over it, you’ll feel better.” Obviously, you wouldn’t just get over it instantaneously; that’s not how emotions or how people work.

It’s the same for those who go through mental illnesses. They don’t choose to be depressed or anxious. It’s not a switch you can just turn off, just like any other disease like allergies or the flu. Mental illnesses are real illnesses that can be caused by many things outside of someone’s control--biological factors, traumatic experiences, and family history.

In addition, mental illnesses aren’t always just psychological. Some mental illnesses arise because of damage to the brain, just like how diseases can damage your body. Case in point--bipolar disorder and its treatment, lithium. Lithium is used in bipolar disorder to stabilize the brain’s function, thereby treating the mood swings associated with bipolar disorder. As Machado-Vieira says, “a recent meta-analysis and meta-regression of 98 structural studies in BD showed a robust change in brain structure in BD, as well as evidence that lithium increases gray matter volume. Overall, lithium seems to be an exogenous support that activates adaptive mechanisms in the brain.”

To summarize, mental illnesses are not made up, and as said earlier, they affect millions of Americans alone. Unfortunately, many of these people do not seek out treatment for many reasons, like money issues, lack of access to treatment, and stigma. The first step towards making sure more people get treated is to first acknowledge that mental illness is real and to remove the stigma over having mental illnesses. For instance, another myth some people believe:

2. People with mental illnesses are crazy.

Most people with mental illnesses are not a danger to others and are no more likely to be violent than anybody else. In fact, rather than being a danger to others, people with mental illnesses are “10 times more likely to be victims of violent crime than the general population.”

When people think of mental illnesses and consider those with mental illness crazy, they’re probably thinking of schizophrenia--a disorder characterized by hallucinations (and the above statement still applies. Those with schizophrenia are more likely to be victims of violence rather than perpetrators.) However, not all mental illnesses and disorders cause hallucinations. For instance, depression and anxiety do not cause hallucinations. Depression is characterized by sadness and lethargy--neither of which are violence or hallucinations. Anxiety disorders are, well, characterized by anxiety. Other mental health issues like OCD and ADHD also do not cause hallucinations and don’t affect the patient’s view of reality.

Those with mental illnesses face real problems, but many still retain their mind and faculties. For instance, people with mental health issues still perform well at their jobs. It isn’t right to just write them off as crazy. With the right treatment, those that face mental issues can live normal and fulfilling lives.

Speaking of treatment, that brings us to our next myth:

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3. Just take a pill for it.

Not all mental illnesses can be treated with medication . For example, the most effective treatment for OCD is therapy. In addition, side effects or conflicting health concerns might make it so that the patient might not be able to take medication.

In addition, not all medications have the same effect on each person. Even for physical illnesses, not all medications work the same way on everyone.

For instance, just look at the medicine aisle in your local grocery store. You’ll probably find ten different brands for cold medicine alone with a cursory glance. Not all medications are as effective as others; some medications treat different symptoms of the same disease, like that cold medicine that treats your stuffy nose and cough but not that nasty headache. In a hospital setting, doctors may have their patients go through different treatments in order to determine which treatments fit best with them.

The same applies to mental illnesses and disorders. Not all medications will work everyone, and it takes time to find the right treatment.

Mental health is a very real concern that unfortunately many people don’t take seriously enough. They dismiss those who suffer through mental illness outright or see them as less, and as a result, those who have mental health illnesses and disorders are deterred from receiving the treatment they need. This a stigma that needs to be removed in order for people to get the help they need.

There’s nothing shameful about having a mental illness. There’s nothing shameful about receiving treatment for mental illness. Having a mental illness doesn’t make you weak or crazy. It’s an illness, just like how colds and flus and the chickenpox are illnesses. No one judges someone for getting a cast for their broken leg; and they shouldn’t judge someone for going to therapy or taking medication.

*Note: Unless you are a professional, please do not try to treat mental illnesses and disorders on your own. It’s best to seek out a doctor.