15 Misconceptions About Mental Illness

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Misconceptions about mental illness are abundant. Too many people don’t understand the various disorders that others suffer from. Understanding that mental illness is real and that it affects millions of people worldwide is an important step to fully comprehending the dangers that various disorders represent.

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Mental Illness is a weakness

There’s nothing weak about living with mental illness since many times the cause is beyond the control of the person suffering through it. In some cases, learning to manage an illness takes an inordinate amount of strength.

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People with mental illness have a weak personality

If this happens, the individual likely has a reason for lacking personality. But more likely than not, dealing with their illness is embarrassing, and is a point of shame that keeps them reserved instead of outgoing.

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Mental illness is not a medical condition

Sadly the truth is that yes, mental illness involves factors that are out of our control. Chemical imbalances in the brain, even physical trauma one experiences, can alter our brain chemistry significantly.

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Mental illness is rare

The unfortunate truth is that mental illness is not as rare as some think it is. Many people are enduring some form of mental illness or another, but are better at concealing it than others.

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People fake mental illness for attention

The unfortunate portion of this answer is that yes, some people do fake mental illness for attention. But more often than not, people who have one condition or another would not seek any undue attention for several reasons.

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Mental illness is due to poor parenting

This is possible, but it’s not the norm. Childhood trauma can cause severe mental illness, but this isn’t the main cause.

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People aren’t depressed, they’re just sad

This is like saying someone isn’t crazy, they’re just happy in a different way. Depression is a real condition that affects millions of people and is tough to endure for a prolonged period.

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Mentally ill patients are violent and crazed

Certain conditions do require a great deal of care when dealing with afflicted individuals. Thankfully though, if people follow their medications, attend therapy, and follow a doctor’s guidelines, they aren’t as prone to outbursts or erratic behavior.

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Mentally ill individuals can ‘snap out of it’ if they want to

No, they can’t, plain and simple. Depression and other conditions aren’t something that one can just decide aren’t important any longer. If not treated, mental illness tends to get worse.

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Mentally ill people can choose to be happy

People with mental illness can indeed choose to look at life from one perspective or another. But unless they have help, many individuals have trouble getting out of bed every day, let alone feeling happy.

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Mental health disorders never heal

Thankfully, this is false. Granted, mental illness will rarely go away entirely, but disorders will not heal without a lot of help and patience. People have to live with their disorders, but healing is usually a result of the help they receive and their response.

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People don’t need therapy

This is wrong on many levels since without therapy, many people would find it impossible to walk out their front door. Dealing with the world is tough enough for many people who don’t suffer from a mental disorder. Therapy is designed to help, and is typically molded to the individual in response to their needs.

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A pill can solve everything

Out of all the misconceptions about mental illness that exist, thinking that a pill can solve everything is one of the most dangerous. This leads to overmedicating, self-medicating, and other issues that are sometimes fatal.

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Mental illness can come on suddenly, without warning

It certainly appears that way sometimes. But the truth is that disorders do tend to build over time. Sometimes a person is born with a predisposition to mental disorders, and sometimes trauma can occur that causes the type of mental agitation that can lead to further problems.

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Age can worsen depression

Regrettably, this is kind of true, but it’s still one of the more noticeable misconceptions about mental illness. If an elderly citizen is suffering from a mental disorder, it has little to do with age. Decreased mental faculties do play a role in depression, but it’s not typically the primary cause.