Misconceptions about mental health: Rant & discussion

^ about how people think they have a disorder bc of a few small things (not liking crowded buses, being a bit socially awkward, not wanting to get fat, feeling sad once in a while, having mood swings, getting into fights with friends and """""splitting""""" on them (aka getting angry at them because of an argument...) etc.) i think they really have misunderstood what mental illness is.
it's not depression unless it affects your daily life and ability to function and being autistic isn't only having few friends and being shy, but that's the impression they have gotten of it i guess. like, people who have never been depressed think of it as feeling sad a lot because that's all they can relate to. idk but that's the impression i've gotten by people who think mental illness is Relateable and a bit of a quirk ..

That mental illness is something you choose to submit to, because it's "just in your head".

If people had even a basic understanding of how our brains function and chemicals/hormones affect us, it might help with this misconception. I think a lot of times, the word "mental" translates to "imaginary" - if people knew that mental conditions have actual physical, measurable causes, they might see them as more valid

I'm still not fully able to forgive my aunt for casually pointing out that she could never have something like OCD "because she's a strong person"

Lackadaisy said:

That mental illness is something you choose to submit to, because it's "just in your head".

If people had even a basic understanding of how our brains function and chemicals/hormones affect us, it might help with this misconception. I think a lot of times, the word "mental" translates to "imaginary" - if people knew that mental conditions have actual physical, measurable causes, they might see them as more valid

I'm still not fully able to forgive my aunt for casually pointing out that she could never have something like OCD "because she's a strong person"

Click to expand...

Yes to all of this. It has nothing to do with what type of person you are. I always try to compare to people that "just like nobody chooses to get cancer, nobody chooses to have a mental illness" but they always think that's too extreme.

*glares daggers at your aunt*

I don't hate this but it does bother me how much people tell other people to do bad things. Y'all know...

I think the misconception that gets to me a lot is the idea that everything can just be worked through by facing it head on, or even that everything can be cured. Sometimes working on your mental health means taking a step back to recover and not facing your problems until you have healed enough to handle them, and certain mental health issues don't have a cure and can only be coped with rather than "fixed". People that imply that you aren't trying hard enough, or that say things like "the only limitations are the ones you choose to put on yourself", and act like I could just be mentally healthy if I chose to be.

In particular with me, this causes me a lot of pain because it's really hard to tell someone "I can't do this thing that I am technically physically capable of doing because I know it will push my brain to a level of anxiety that will put me in a really bad head space and I might either do something self-destructive or go into a completely dissociated state if I get to that head space". I know from experience that "facing what makes me anxious head-on and not letting my anxiety tell me I can't do something!" has on many, many, many occasions caused me to become significantly more mentally ill. I challenge my anxiety boundaries as often as I can, but I also know that forcing myself to when I can't hurts me in a really serious way that I can't just play around with.

I guess my PSA is just... let mentally ill and mentally disabled people define what their boundaries and limits are for themselves and don't assume that they are just lazy or that they are just un-confident when they say they can't do certain things.

Yeah pretty much what you said, and that people generalize A LOT when it comes to ASD diagnoses and that everyone works the same.

1) We do not and each and everyone needs different kind and levels of care
2) As someone with Asperger and kinda high-functioning, no I don't need 10 alarms each day telling me what to do nor do I smell bad. There are people who might very well do that and you should give them respect for making their days function but my point is not everyone with ASD/Asperger, autism etc do need it. People have really bad prejudices here and why I bring it up.

Also the lack of respect from some parents whose kids got some ASD is something that makes me furious.. Like for ****'s sake let your kid explain and don't force things on them. And yeah I've def heard the lazy and "lol man y u no talk" yeah i have social anxiety sometimes deal with it.

- - - Post Merge - - -

visibleghost said:

^ about how people think they have a disorder bc of a few small things (not liking crowded buses, being a bit socially awkward, not wanting to get fat, feeling sad once in a while, having mood swings, getting into fights with friends and """""splitting""""" on them (aka getting angry at them because of an argument...) etc.) i think they really have misunderstood what mental illness is.
it's not depression unless it affects your daily life and ability to function and being autistic isn't only having few friends and being shy, but that's the impression they have gotten of it i guess. like, people who have never been depressed think of it as feeling sad a lot because that's all they can relate to. idk but that's the impression i've gotten by people who think mental illness is Relateable and a bit of a quirk ..

Click to expand...

Also yes what u said as well..

I think the medical profession, especially the mental health team, are a very dangerous farce.

They do more harm than good.

Putting labels on people who might be grieving or just sad, a regular emotion we've all experienced, and they call it depression.

I can't stand it when people who know very little offer this little gem -> 'Seek professional help'.
If you don't behave the way they've read you should, or you don't share the same opinion.

That bit of (non)advice is bandied about too often.

The best way to help someone is to listen to them, IF they want to talk.

If you don't like crowds or people, you are 'socially awkward', when the truth is as simple as you just don't like people all that much, and prefer the company of animals.

My two cents.

John Wick said:

I think the medical profession, especially the mental health team, are a very dangerous farce.

They do more harm than good.

Putting labels on people who might be grieving or just sad, a regular emotion we've all experienced, and they call it depression.

I can't stand it when people who know very little offer this little gem -> 'Seek professional help'.
If you don't behave the way they've read you should, or you don't share the same opinion.

That bit of (non)advice is bandied about too often.

The best way to help someone is to listen to them, IF they want to talk.

If you don't like crowds or people, you are 'socially awkward', when the truth is as simple as you just don't like people all that much, and prefer the company of animals.

My two cents.

Click to expand...

What you said here is brilliant.

My mom struggles with BPD stemming from her childhood. She's drugged up by doctors with benzos that she is now addicted to. They think she's manipulative and self-seeking- when really, those with BPD are constantly stressing over who they believe they may be 'hurting'. They often feel emotion, sympathy, and attachment too much, as they believe those they love will leave them. Not commonly to an unhealthy level for those around them, but to themselves.

It's horrible.

Mental health is a very personal thing that people shouldn’t be discouraged to talk about or to enquire about by people who like to use it as an accessory or are somehow proud of it or feel special because of it. It’s like an invisible physical illness and should be treated as such. Respect those who even potentially suffer from neurosis. It’s their problem to deal with, so back off. That’s my view.

John Wick said:

I think the medical profession, especially the mental health team, are a very dangerous farce.

They do more harm than good.

Putting labels on people who might be grieving or just sad, a regular emotion we've all experienced, and they call it depression.

I can't stand it when people who know very little offer this little gem -> 'Seek professional help'.
If you don't behave the way they've read you should, or you don't share the same opinion.

That bit of (non)advice is bandied about too often.

The best way to help someone is to listen to them, IF they want to talk.

If you don't like crowds or people, you are 'socially awkward', when the truth is as simple as you just don't like people all that much, and prefer the company of animals.

My two cents.

Click to expand...

"They do more harm than good" is extremely far fetched and could possibly deter someone from reaching out to a medical professional if they feel they need help. Grievance/sadness IS a regular and normal emotion, and I don't know any psychiatrist that will classify that as a mental illness. When they determine you may be a harm to yourself and express some hint of suicide ideation then that's a different story and involvement is necessary.

Mental health/psychiatry will always be an elusive discipline as the brain is still an extremely mysterious organ and the mechanism of what exactly causes mental illnesses is still largely unknown. Therefore, drug therapy involving psychotropics are not a cure, but to sweep a chronic condition under the rug to sustain a quality of life as possible (i.e. maintaining a career, taking care of yourself/family)

To say medical physicians do more harm than good especially towards those suffering from extremely debilitating mental illnesses such as schizophrenia is just insulting in my opinion. Because of the recent advancements in therapy, antipsychotics, and physician involvement & research we see those with psychiatric conditions finally being assimilated back into society and maintaining a career/excelling in higher education versus being stuck in a mental asylum like it used to be.

Tessie said:

"They do more harm than good" is extremely far fetched and could possibly deter someone from reaching out to a medical professional if they feel they need help. Grievance/sadness IS a regular and normal emotion, and I don't know any psychiatrist that will classify that as a mental illness. When they determine you may be a harm to yourself and express some hint of suicide ideation then that's a different story and involvement is necessary.

Mental health/psychiatry will always be an elusive discipline as the brain is still an extremely mysterious organ and the mechanism of what exactly causes mental illnesses is still largely unknown. Therefore, drug therapy involving psychotropics are not a cure, but to sweep a chronic condition under the rug to sustain.

To say medical physicians do more harm than good especially towards those suffering from extremely debilitating mental illnesses such as schizophrenia is just insulting in my opinion.

Click to expand...

I'm speaking from my own experiences, and that of friends, so I'm not just blindly posting.

They did more harm than good.

It's not a deterrent.

People can think for themselves.

You are being blind by only looking at experiences you've seen and not the greater good lol

I'm not blinded by anything.
I see it very clearly for what it is.

A very dangerous farce.

I'm not going to get into what they've done.

I've said my bit, and I'm moving on now.

I won't be entertaining such fallacious arguments, especially one with such little effort of a rebuttal.

To anyone suffering from any mental illness and thinking you may need medical help, please do so and do not listen to such claims. If we wish to speak of experiences, I have seen lives saved by finally going to the hospital due to a mental crisis and now living a better life after accepting treatment. Medical professionals are not dangerous, and they do not do more harm than good. Do not be afraid to visit physicians and specialized psychiatrists.

John Wick said:

I think the medical profession, especially the mental health team, are a very dangerous farce.

They do more harm than good.

Putting labels on people who might be grieving or just sad, a regular emotion we've all experienced, and they call it depression.

I can't stand it when people who know very little offer this little gem -> 'Seek professional help'.
If you don't behave the way they've read you should, or you don't share the same opinion.

That bit of (non)advice is bandied about too often.

The best way to help someone is to listen to them, IF they want to talk.

If you don't like crowds or people, you are 'socially awkward', when the truth is as simple as you just don't like people all that much, and prefer the company of animals.

My two cents.

Click to expand...

i realize you're sharing your own experiences but there's some things to point out here:

"Putting labels on people who might be grieving... ...and they call it depression" as mentioned before me grief isn't a mental illness in itself but grief can absolutely lead to depression. depression isn't always permanent/clinical, it can come and go with different experiences. sadness in itself of course isn't a mental illness either and any professional would agree but if someone is more sad than not, whether it's mental illness is debatable and dependent on the person but i would call that a cause for concern.

as for people saying "seek professional help", they're usually trying to help. they're saying "that sounds rough and i don't know how to help you, but there are people who do". they may be totally wrong but i've personally never known someone who would say this ill willed, and i'd advise not taking it that way even if it's annoying.

you are correct that listening to people helps, and that's exactly what any good psychiatrist will do. however as unfortunate as it is, listening is not an end-all cure as a big part of mental illness is a chemical imbalance in the brain which medications are required to help with.

social awkwardness also isn't a mental illness, nor is introversion. you won't ever be professionally diagnosed with either, that more sounds like a problem with peers opposed to a problem with doctors? or are you talking about social anxiety?

anyways i don't think calling mental health professionals "dangerous" is a very wise thing to do regardless of your own experience with them. it'd be better to just say something along the lines of "professional help didn't work for me when i sought it".

seliph said:

anyways i don't think calling mental health professionals "dangerous" is a very wise thing to do regardless of your own experience with them. it'd be better to just say something along the lines of "professional help didn't work for me when i sought it".

Click to expand...

The topic should be your thought on mental health issues and stuff around it, not if you think it wise or not about someone's opinion that they talked about from their experience?

From what I experienced, it could help or it could harm, to have sessions with professionals. I had mental issue from severe abuse during childhood when I was a young teen. It took me for years until I finally find a real helping doctor and got over the issues eventually.
As same as other things in life, there's a chemistry with people you meet, you'll need some time and maybe luck to find the onse fo you, it's same with those professionals too. And here's a thing they have their differentiate special fields. When those things doesn't match to what you'd need/expect from them, and if the sessions keep going on while you're unsure if it's right, it could harm your state.

RedTropicalPeachyFish said:

The topic should be your thought on mental health issues and stuff around it, not if you think it wise or not about someone's opinion that they talked about from their experience?

Click to expand...

a common misconception about mental health is that it's dangerous and/or doesn't work. calling something so crucial to peoples' lives "dangerous" isn't an opinion, it's just wrong and, funny enough, a dangerous idea to spread around. i don't think i said anything that was off topic.

i'm glad he cleared up that it did more harm for him after but straight up calling it dangerous can hurt people.

seliph said:

calling something so crucial to peoples' lives "dangerous" isn't an opinion, it's just wrong
-snip-
calling it dangerous can hurt people.

Click to expand...

It still is an opinion, I believe. Everyone is entitle to their own opinion and branding it as "just wrong" could be rude, unless their opinion involves something that obviously abuses the forum rule, isn't it?
It wouldn't help having a open minded constructive discussion. What if I just said your opinion isn't an opinion, would it be constructive?

I understand how we word it is one thing, but it's still true that it could go dangerous/make your state go worse at times, depending on the situation. Is it still "not an opinion", just because you have different opinion?

Though you seem to be worried about certain opinions hurting people, this kind of "opinion" could also hurt some people, people like me.

allistic people be like u are so quirky sexy funny and valid haha *labels autism/adhd itself as a mental illness* why wont u speak up lol *labels everything u are interested in as a special interest* my half-second cousin has autism so i can practically read ur mind *fetishizes autistic people as sweet and innocent and cute because they r so silly and naive LOL!!!* like what even IS stimming????? u dont look autistic

I have PTSD with anxiety and depression.

A lot of my symptoms are not talked about in media, and so whenever I explain to someone I suffer from PTSD they think of me as a war veteran huddled up in the corner of a mental hospital screaming as if they are back in the war because a plate fell on the floor. (Of course these cases do exist but it is not the majority...) Basically treating me as a ticking time bomb that they can't interact with without fear of causing me to explode o uo;;;

The one symptom I deal with that seems to make everyone confused and think I am lying is my memory loss. Ever since going to college and getting away from my abusive household, my brain automatically represses any upsetting problem I come across. Over time this has translated into my every day life and now I find myself repeating conversations I had an hour ago with my boyfriend and even believing that my morning was a different day than that same afternoon. I also get days mixed up very easily, and if conversations go on for too long sometimes I will forget I am speaking and zone out. this happens mostly when I am driving and someone tries talking to me. But a lot of people just label me as someone who doesn't pay attention or is forgetful, not realizing I am suffering from a mental health issue that makes it hard for me to remember anything.

I dealt with anxiety and depression from a VERY young age (early elementary school) and my parents waved all of my symptoms off as growth spurts or not wanting to stay home and play video games. I did not grow for about 4 years straight, always had leg pain, would hate going to school, and even as a toddler I would hold my neck in response to stress in the environment. My mom thought I had some sort of physical illness that kept me from growing and my dad claimed that I was too young to be depressed or anxious. Years later in nursing school, I found every single one of my symptoms were textbook for childhood depression and anxiety. Even now at 22 I'm told I am too young to have PTSD or have anything to be depressed about... It's really frustrating.

Prior to me going onto this next topic I want to explain that everyone is different in what treatments will work for them and my experiences are in no way universal. When finding health care for mental illnesses it is important to "shop" around until you find what fits.

Growing up and even now I have been told that medication for mental health is evil, will change who I am, will make me go insane or into a vegetable, and so on. Media often portrays therapists as manipulative or predators, people you could not trust. This made me terrified to go onto medication or seek professional help even though I work in health care. When I finally got the courage to go to therapy and get placed on medication it was LIFE CHANGING. An hour after taking my first pill the world looked so bright and amazing... I was so happy for the next few weeks my boyfriend did not know how to react since I was no longer as sad or held back by my fears. Nightmares that plagued me daily finally vanished, and aside from a few side effects such as nausea and diarrhea i felt on top of the world. The idea placed into peoples minds from movies, tv shows, and books not based in true reality delayed me being happy. It makes my blood boil to hear people talk poorly about medication or therapy services not working at all, because we are all different!

My symptoms are not the same as anyone else's, and the reason behind my issues will never be the same. so it only makes sense that every single person requires specific patient-centered care. Hushed whispers about how I have to take medicine to function, seeing young adult novels treat medication as a drug given to them to make them zombies, and movies acting as though you free yourself by no longer seeking medical help only further prevent people from finding what works for them. Some people can get by on exercise and get enough dopamine to subside symptoms, but not everyone can.

Also schitzophrenia is not a horror movie plot device tyvm.