When you hear or talk about ‘mental disorder’, can you differentiate between a myth and fact?


 

There are many myths and misunderstandings regarding mental disorders which prevent help-seeking behaviour. Learn the truth about the most common mental illness myths.


Myth: “Mental health problems are rare.”


Fact: Mental health problems are very common.


  • 1 in 40 and 1 in 20 people in India suffer from past and current depression, respectively in 2016.

  • Nearly 1.9% of the population were affected with severe mental disorders in their lifetime and 0.8% were identified to be currently affected with a severe mental disorder in India.


So you may not experience a mental illness, but there is a high probability that a family member, friend, neighbour or co-worker is experiencing problems.



Myth: “People with mental health disorder are violent and dangerous.”


Fact: Most people with mental illness are not violent and only 3%–5% of violent acts in the US can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness. 


Myth: “Mental illness is a sign of personal weakness.”


Fact: Any kind of personal weakness or character flaw is not the reason behind mental illness. Several genetic, biological, environmental and social factors contribute to mental health problems. Seeking help is, in fact, a sign of strength. 


Myth: “Children can’t have mental health problems. Those are adult things.”


Fact: Mental health problems among children is a real concern.


  • 9.4% of children aged 2-17 years (approximately 6.1 million) have received an ADHD diagnosis in the US.

  • 3.2% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 1.9 million) have diagnosed depression in America.


Thus, mental health issues are not limited to adults. Children can experience mental illness. 


Myth: “People with mental health issues never recover.”


Fact: People with mental health issues can and do recover. There are many stories of recovery. It is an ongoing process and the first step is getting help.


Myth: “People with a mental illness can ‘pull themselves out of it.”


Fact: Do we tell a person with diabetes to pull himself out of it? Off course not. That way mental illness is not going to be cured through only personal strength. People need therapy and medication to recover.




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