Unlike physical illness such as the flu or disease, mental illness often times displays no little to no visible signs, because of this (and several other reasons) there are understandably many misconceptions that surround mental illnesses. As a person who has a mental illness (three to be precise) I would like to clear some of these up.
*Note: I am not going to talk about any one mental illness exclusivly, but rather mental illness as a whole.
1) Medicine Will Fix It
Sure, doctors will prescribe medication to patients who has been diagnosed with a mental illness and sure this will help their symptoms, but it doesn't cure them. Mental illnesses are something that can last for many years (if not a life time). There is (as of today) no sure-fire way to cure a mental illness.
2) If You Have A Mental Illness, You're Dumb
There are several people who have a mental illness and are far from dumb. Many brilliant people who are well known today had a mental illness. For example, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, and Thomas Alva Edison all had dyslexia, Isaac Newton, Beethoven, Vincent van Gogh, Winston Churchill, Ozzy Osborne all had bipolar disorder, and the list goes on. Now, I'd be very ignorant if I also didn't acknowledge that some people with mental illness are less than intelligent. In many cases, it all depends on what mental illness you have. Some people can overcome it, but others, not so much.
3) Mental Illness Makes People Violent
While there are some people with a mental illness who are unstable, instantly associating something as broad as mental illness with violence is a bit unfair, especially when there are some mental illnesses out there that make it where people can't even function on their own. Saying that mental illness makes people violent is like saying criminals kill people. Yes, there are some criminals who kill people, but there are many who don't. Theft, arson, stalking, trespassing, etc all have very little to do with killing, just like depression, ADD/ADHD, OCD, autism, etc. all have little to do with violence.
4) I Can Diagnose Myself
Many people assume that they can diagnose themself with a mental illness and unless they are a mental health expert, chances are, they can't. On top of that, it is said that 50% of people with mental illnesses don't receive treatment and in some cases a proper diagnosis. If you think you have a mental illness, consult a mental health expert for an official diagnosis.
5) Mental Illnesses Are Unnecessary Diagnosis
When it comes to mental illness, you can't get more ignorant than this. Mental illness has been a problem for a long time. In fact, there has been examination of prehistoric skulls with surgically drilled holes in them as a treatment for head injuries and to "free the demons trapped in the skull" that date all the way back to 6500BC and with the leaps and bounds we have made in psychology, we are able to learn more and more about mental illnesses. 70 to 90% of people who had a mental illness report seeing improvements in their symptoms after receiving treatment. Also, nearly 90% of people who commit suicide also had one or more mental illness. With an estimated 800,000 people globally that commit suicide (per year), 720,000 of those have a mental illness.
The pictures below show the difference between someone with a "normal" brain (as in no mental illness) and people who have mental illnesses.
I hope that help shed some light on mental illnesses. If you have a mental illness, do you agree? Did I miss any? And as always, thanks for reading.
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