MYTH
Mental health problems are uncommon.
FACT
In 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source estimated that “1 in 4 people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives.”
Currently mental disorders are among the leading causes of ill health and disability worldwide.
MYTH
Addiction is a lack of willpower.
FACT
Researchers found that a lack of willpower was not the deciding factor when it came to beating addiction. Recovery is dependent on developing strategies to preserve willpower by controlling the environment.
MYTH
People with mental health conditions cannot work.
FACT
It is true that someone living with a particularly severe mental health condition might be unable to carry out regular work. However, the majority of people with mental health issues can be as productive as individuals without mental health disorders.
MYTH
Children don't experience mental health problems.
FACT
Even very young children may show early warning signs of mental health concerns. These mental health problems are often clinically diagnosable, and can be a product of the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors. Half of all mental health disorders show first signs before a person turns 14 years old, and three quarters of mental health disorders begin before age 24.
MYTH
Mental health problems are permanent.
FACT
A mental health diagnosis is not necessarily a “life sentence.” Each individual’s experience with mental illness is different. Some people might experience episodes, between which they return to their version of “normal.” Others may find treatments — medication or talking therapies — that restore balance to their lives.
MYTH
Therapy and self-help are a waste of time.
FACT
Treatment for mental health problems varies depending on the individual and could include medication, therapy, or both. Many individuals work with a support system during the healing and recovery process.
MYTH
Having a mental illness means you are “crazy.”
FACT
It means you have an illness with challenging symptoms — the same as someone with an illness like diabetes. While mental illness might alter your thinking, destabilize your moods or skew your perception of reality, that doesn’t mean you are “crazy.” It means you are human and are susceptible to sickness and illness.
MYTH
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is only a military man’s disease.
FACT
Anyone can have PTSD. A rape or sexual assault victim, a domestic abuse victim, a survivor of a natural disaster, someone who’s suffered a loss or even a person who did not face any violence or physical threats themselves directly, but happened to witness someone else who did.