3 myths about mental health
- Holland Imes
- Apr 9, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 11, 2022
Mental health is an issue that is very stigmatized in today’s society. One of the big reasons why mental health has such a stigma around it is because lots of people lack understanding of the issue. It’s important to educate people because they are actually very common. One in five adults have experienced a mental health issue.
In an effort to educate people on the importance of their mental health and making sure they receive the help they need, I’m going to debunk four major myths about mental health and the facts behind each one.
Only adults can experience mental health problems.
Adults are not the only ones that experience mental health issues. One in five teenagers have or will have mental health issues. Majority of children first show signs before the age of 14. It is important that parents seek treatment for their children, because without proper treatment, children may experience issues in development or difficulty thriving in day to day life. If you notice that your child is talking about wanting to hurt themselves or others, or their behavior is dangerous, you should find help immediately.
People who have mental health issues just need to snap out of it.
A person’s personality or character is not related to mental health problems. Mental health problems are related to but not limited to genetics, life experiences, and family history. That being said, people with mental illnesses can recover, but it’s not as simple as waking up one day and being cured. It takes a lot of time, and effort to recover or at least feel better.
People with mental health issues are stuck with them the rest of their lives.
People who experience mental health issues aren’t necessarily burdened with them for the rest of their lives. That’s what treatment is for. People who seek treatment can make a full recovery. Treatment can help in a number of ways by helping the client work through their problems. The problem might not go away completely, but treatment can help people find ways to be able to live with it and go about daily life.
Therapy won’t help.
Therapy does help! Studies show that therapy works better than medication in solving peoples mental health issues. Therapy offers a problem/solution way of thinking and can help you find coping mechanisms, and ways to deal with problems that just relying on a pill won’t give you.
Let’s Stop the Stigma!
With all this information in mind, if you or someone you know might be struggling with a mental health problem, it can seem scary. But there are several solutions out there to help you. Stopping the stigma of mental health and therapy is extremely important so that people can get the help they need to live their best lives.
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