Common Myths about Mental Illness

Common Myths about Mental Illness

The stigma associated with mental health perpetuates oppression and discrimination for those who struggle with mental health issues. This spread of misinformation has caused many myths about mental illness, and it is up to all of us to reduce this spread of misinformation. This week we are providing you with a list of common myths around mental illness.

Mental health problems are uncommon.

This is one of the most common myths associated with mental health. In fact, according to the CDC there was an in symptoms of anxiety and depression between August 2020 and February 2021 from 36.4% to 41.5% for individuals with unmet mental health care needs.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7013e2.htm

Having a mental illness means you are “crazy,” violent, or dangerous.

According to research, 3.7% of the general population of the U.S. perpetuates violent acts each year, and most patients with a mental illness that is stable to do present a risk of violence to others.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686644/

Mental health problems are caused by the individual.

According to the Mayo Clinic, mental illness is caused by many factors including genetic and environmental factors.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/symptoms-causes/syc-20374968

PTSD is only seen in individuals in the military.

PTSD is often associated with individuals who have been in the military, but anyone who has been through a trauma can suffer from PTSD. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, trauma is not rare, and 7%-8% of the population will have PTSD at some point in their lives.

https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_adults.asp

Not being able to handle your own mental health issues makes you weak.

As we have seen from some of the other myths already, mental health is not rare or uncommon, and it is something that many people have dealt with, or will end up dealing with at some point in their lives. It does not make you weak, and it is not your fault. In fact, many of the mental health issues individuals face are due to environmental or genetic causes as we learned from myth number 3.

Children and teens do not experience mental health problems.

According to the CDC, 7.1% (6.1 million) children aged 3-17 have been diagnosed with anxiety. While 3.2% (1.9 million) have been diagnosed with depression, and 7.4% (4.5 million) have been diagnosed with a behavior problem.

https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html

Rebecca Bennett

Mental Health Student Intern