Myths About People Who Suffer From Mental Health Problems.

I can remember throughout my journey encountering many people who believed strongly in so many myths concerning people who suffer from mental health issues.

As a person who has been struggling with mental health being treated any differently than the person you really are can be very degrading and even mean.

Knowing there are myths out there is one thing, but having someone believe those myths and treat you according to their beliefs is another thing.

It makes you feel like you are less than and not good enough. It also makes you feel sad, hurt, depressed, judged and it can even lead the person to isolate themselves because they don't want others to know about your struggles.

This type of ignorance isn't one that is only expressed by uneducated people. I can clearly remember one example of those myths being projected on me by a healthcare professional.

My father was sick and in the hospital. A specialist from the hospital called me to ask a few questions concerning my father’s health. She seemed kind and compassionate, she told me my father was suffering from Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asked me if I had any question concerning his diagnosis. Which I did.

After talking to me for about 2 to 3 minutes. She mentioned that I should come by the hospital so she could lend me a video which explained my father’s lung issue.

After I mentioned to her that I couldn't go to the hospital because of the battle with the anxiety disorder, her behavior with me changed. Her first response was “But you seem to be a smart woman. I couldn't imagine someone like you having this type of disorder.”

Those words hurt, because until that day I hadn't realized that people could believe that struggling with a mental health condition meant you were uneducated and/or stupid.

The way she spoke to me after learning about my health issues, changed. Even her tone of voice

had gotten different. I felt as though telling me about my father’s health was no longer important and I could tell she wanted to get off the phone quickly.

Unfortunately, I had this type of experience with other people and it made me sad to know people could treat me like that. It’s at that point that I started being selective as to who would know about my struggle.

Which also meant that I would isolate even more and that only a very selective few would know what I was going through. I started believing that opening up to people was unsafe and that I should just not talk about it.

Until I learned that it was the worst thing I could do to myself. Because isolating myself brought on a whole other series of problems such as depression, feeling disconnected from the world, loneliness, unworthiness, etc.

Let’s explore three myths about people who suffer from mental health issues:

Myth # 1 - People with mental health problems are not intelligent people. Answer: False, most of them are quite intelligent. Just look at : Steve Young, who struggles from a social anxiety disorder - Leonardo DiCaprio-obsessive suffers from compulsive disorder - Lady Gaga suffers from PTSD - Miley Cyrus struggles from Depression, etc. Plus people with mental health problems come from all types of life.

Myth # 2 - People with mental health problems are violent. Answer : False, most people with mental health issues are just like anyone else. Only a small percentage can be violent, but most of the time they are the ones being victimized or being assaulted violently compared to the general population. If anything, people who suffer from mental health issues are generally kind, compassionate, loving and they have empathy for other people's needs.

Myth #3 - People with mental health problems are lazy. Answer : False, if anything most people with mental health issues are generally highly active and productive. Just look at all the artists and entrepreneurs I mentioned in this blog and that just a few of them.

I hope this blog has helped you to get a better understanding of the myths surrounding people who suffer from mental health problems.