Reducing
the stigma and fears around mental illness is the single
most important factor in successfully bringing individuals
recovering from mental illness into the mainstream of
community life.
MYTHS |
FACTS |
People
who have a mental illness are violent. |
People receiving treatment for mental illness are more likely to be the victim of crime than the perpetrator. Most violent crimes, including murder are committed by people who are not mentally ill. |
People
with mental illness cannot make significant contributions in our culture. |
Abraham Lincoln, Patty Duke, Beethoven, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams are just some of the many accomplished people who had a mental illness. |
People
who have a mental illness cannot get better. |
People can recover from and manage mental illness. Many people with mental illnesses are in recovery and leading active lives. |
Mental
illness is the same as mental retardation. |
Mental illness is not the same as mental retardation, which is a developmental condition that people are born with. Mental illness develops later in life. There is not a correlation between intelligence and mental illness. |
People
with mental illness need constant assistance. |
Many people with mental illnesses live independently in their own houses or apartments, manage their own money, arrange their own social activities and hold jobs. |
People
with mental illness could get better if they really wanted to. They
are just being overly sensitive and emotional. |
Mental illness is an illness, just like heart disease and diabetes. You would not expect someone who just had a heart attack to get better without help from doctors, family and friends. Recovery from any illness is more successful when the person has the proper support. |
Mental
illness is most common among economically poor people. |
Mental illness does not discriminate based on economic status, social standing, ethnicity or race. Anyone can develop a mental illness. |
We
don't know how to treat mental illness. |
Although there is no cure for mental illness at this point in time, we do know how to treat it. Mental health treatments have come a long way in the past 30 years. |