Often people are afraid to talk about mental illnesses because there are many misconceptions about these common conditions. Learning what is and isn’t true about these problems can help lessen the stigma.

Mental illnesses or disorders affect people of every age, race, religion, and income. These illnesses of the mind and emotions are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and function at work and at home.

Just as someone with a broken bone or heart disease goes to a doctor for care, people with depression, unmanaged stress, drug and alcohol problems, and overwhelming fears can find appropriate care from a mental health professional.

Learning the facts about mental health can help you dispel the myths surrounding it, enabling you to get help for yourself or a loved one.

Myth: Mental disorders are rare.
Fact: One in five Americans will have a diagnosable mental disorder sometime in their lives, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Each year, 57.7 million American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder; 40 million adults suffer from anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and phobias; and major depression affects 14.8 million adults and is the leading cause of disability for people ages 15 to 44.

Myth: Mental health problems are caused by the people suffering from them.
Fact: Mental illnesses aren’t the result of personal weakness or lack of character. Rather, they’re a product of biological, psychological, and social factors. Research has shown genetic and biological factors are associated with schizophrenia, depression, and alcoholism. Some mental illnesses, including depression, are partly caused by a chemical imbalance or a genetic predisposition. Others, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, arise when a person is exposed to a trauma such as combat, rape, abuse, natural or manmade disasters, or an accident.

Myth: Most mental disorders will go away on their own if left untreated.
Fact: If left untreated, most mental illnesses grow worse and can result in suicide or violence toward others. The World Health Organization reports that four of the 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S. are mental disorders. Without treatment, people with mental illnesses can become vulnerable to unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, suicide, and wasted lives.

Treatments for serious mental illnesses are highly effective; between 70 and 90 percent of individuals have significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life with a combination of medication and psychotherapy. As with conditions that affect the body, such as diabetes and cancer, the earlier an appropriate diagnosis is made and effective treatment is put in place, the sooner healing or management of the condition can occur.

Myth: Many mental illnesses can be cured with herbal remedies or supplements.
Fact: Although supplements and herbal products are often promoted as cures for depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions, there’s little scientific evidence to support their use because most haven’t been thoroughly tested.

Studies have shown most people with mental illnesses who receive appropriate treatment get better, and many recover completely. If you have symptoms of a mental disorder for longer than two weeks, call your doctor. Affordable, effective help is available that can return you to health.

By Barbara Floria, editor of Vitality. For more information, visit Mental Health America at www.nmha.org.

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