Misconceptions of Mental Illness

Mental illness doesn’t come into the conversation in mainstream media very often, but when it does, you can be sure it’s because someone committed some sort of atrocity that people are trying to make sense of, namely mass shootings. This in mind, it’s pretty easy to understand why there might be misconceptions about people that suffer from mental illness.

Misconception 1: People with mental illness are violent or dangerous.

            This usually comes from the media talking about a serial killer or mass murderer, and while it may be the case that many violent crimes are committed by people with mental illness, it is also the case that many people without mental illness also commit violent crimes. When talking about mental illness, the media often forgets that many people who suffer from mental illnesses aren’t violent at all, and lead perfectly normal lives.

Misconception 2: Mental illness is a choice or easily fixed.

            People with depression can’t just ‘be happier’ the same way someone with a broken leg can’t just ‘walk it off.’ Obviously, with therapy or medication, mental illness is much more easily managed, but the same way someone with the flu wouldn’t be advised to get out of bed, or just try to stop being sick, people with mental illnesses shouldn’t be treated differently than someone who is physically ill.

Misconception 3: People with mental illness can’t have healthy relationships.

            While mental illness can put stress on relationships–very much like physical illness– it’s ridiculous to believe that simply because someone suffers from mental illness that they have to be single or friendless because they’re incapable of having healthy relationships. It would be equally silly to assume that because someone is a loner that something must be wrong with them.

Misconception 4: Mental illness is obvious to point out.

            Many people assume that because of the way mental illness is viewed in the media that it’s easy to identify: just look for the weird people, right? The lone wolves, the people that seem glum, homeless people– all must suffer from mental illness right? Not necessarily. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that 1 in 4 adults experience mental illness every year, which means that more often than you realize, you’ve interacted with people with mental illness and more than likely have friends that have suffered from mental illness.

Misconception 5: Mentally illness = depression.

            Depression is a serious, common, and sometimes life threatening mental illness, but it’s far from the only one. Approximately 42 million people suffer from an anxiety disorder alone, in addition to the 1% of Americans who live with schizophrenia, up to 3.7% of people have an eating disorder, and more than 2% of Americans who suffer from bipolar disorder. While depression should be recognized, it can be alienating to to assume that only people with depression should matter when it comes to discussions about mental illness. In addition to that, a person can have co-occurring mental illnesses, and as many as 9.2 adults do.