In my practice, I have met many misconceptions about mental illness from patients and their relatives. I cant blame them. Mental illness has not been understood for a while. In fact, it has created a stigma that people dismiss its importance and its impact in their lives. Some even hide their emotional difficulties from the scrutiny of their close friends and loved ones.

Failure to recognize and address the illness though has staggering consequences. People have lost their families, their jobs, their sources of security and comfort, their present and future. Unfortunately, some even lose their lives.

In my office, I have several extra chairs intended for my patients relatives. With my patients consent, I educate their loved ones about the illness and treatment choices. Only through truthful understanding that mental illness can be resolved and treated.

Sad but true. Mental illness should be seen in a different light, and has to be understood using a different lens. It has to be explored with compassion and humanity, with openness and tolerance.

Myth 1: Bad nerves is bad

Having bad nerves is not necessarily being bad or that possessing it is in itself bad. It has nothing to do with your past sins, failures, or mistakes. When you have mental illness, you have a medical disorder that happens in the brain. Like any medical condition flu, high blood pressure, or asthma it also has physical manifestations such as poor energy or appetite loss.

Mental illness can be compared to a stroke both affect the brain and both have harmful outcomes to the afflicted individuals and their families.

Unlike stroke however, mental illness may not easily be detected by unsuspecting eye and doesnt show weakness or paralysis in only one part of the body. It can however paralyze ones life.

Myth 2: Mental illness means being a weak person

Mental illness simply means having an illness in the brain. It doesnt have anything to do with your worth as a person, with your importance and place in society. It has nothing to do with your familys socio-economic status.

In fact some successful, well-known personalities millionaires, politicians, celebrities, professionals, artists, physicians have suffered from this illness.

Mental illness doesnt have any monopoly. It doesnt spare anyone rich and poor, educated and uneducated, young and old, single and married, employed and unemployed, famous and notorious.

Everyone is vulnerable.

Myth 3: You can easily snap out of it

If you can easily shake off sadness or anxiety, it means that youre still experiencing normal emotions. Mental illness however may not easily be shaken off even when the condition is mild. It lasts for several days, weeks, or months often associated with distress and difficulty performing normal activities.

Once it worsens, it has far-reaching results such as frequent fights with loved ones, inability to hold a job, failure to function at home, and difficulty relating with others.

Some even become a threat to themselves or others; and some develop their own version of reality. At this stage, its more difficult to control without professional help or without the use of talk therapy or medication.

In the mental health realm, myths abound propelled by lack of knowledge and information. Its about time to face mental illness as it is, not as a misfortune created by our own biases and inadequacies.

Mental illness cant be ignored or dismissed as simply part of human frailties. Like any medical problem, it should be seriously recognized and addressed.



By: Michael G. Rayel

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