I thought these two myths were fairly similar, so I decided to combine the two.
Myth #4: Depression results from a personality weakness or character flaw, and people who are depressed could just snap out of it if they tried hard enough.
Fact: Depression has nothing to do with being lazy or weak. It results from changes in brain chemistry or brain function, and medication and/or psychotherapy often help people to recover.
Myth #8: If you have a mental illness, you can will it away. Being treated for a psychiatric disorder means an individual has in some way "failed" or is weak.
Fact: A serious mental illness cannot be willed away. Ignoring the problem does not make it go away, either. It takes courage to seek professional help.
These two myths are probably the most devastating to me, and possibly to many others who struggle with mental illness.
A lot of my clients struggle with educating their family members on these facts. I'm grateful for a family who has tried to educate themselves about the reality that a mental illness, whether it be depression, an anxiety disorder, or a bipolar disorder, cannot just be willed away.
In the past, I've received many insensitive or ignorant "encouragements" to...
"come over to the sunny side of life!" or "Just keep praying." or "I was feeling really depressed one day but I realized I just needed to count my blessings more."
These things are nice, but don't eradicate the pain and/or overcome the burden of a psychiatric illness.
The last thing I'd like to say about these two myths with their respective facts, is that I think that it's often easy for many of us to read these myths and think that you would never treat someone that way.
However, it's a subtle form of discrimination that is deeply embedded in people's minds and judgments-- much like the other forms of racism and prejudice that are present in our "post-racial" America.
Most of these thoughts begin like, "I know she struggles with depression, but..." and then going on to make a very judgmental and hurtful statement.
Also, for those of us who live with mental illness, these facts serve as a valuable reminder to not be quite so hard on ourselves and to use our energies to move forward while loving ourselves for who we are.
Bottom line, we can't know what it's like to live with someone else's trials or burdens. But we can still sympathize and work to increase our sensitivity to the plight of those living with an illness of the mind.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Top 10 Myths about Mental Illness: Myth #4 and #8
Posted by Amy at 3:35 PM
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3 comments:
Amy,
Love that you posted this. I have probably been depressed for the last 10 years. Recently I began taking zoloft and it has changed my life! I would give up my car, my condo and my dog before I gave up Zoloft.
The most amazing side affect or me is that I actually can feel love. I didn't feel that for at least 10 years. I am amazed at the difference it has made in my life.
Love you for writing this post.
Kim
People, really nice people, often struggle with these myths. I think sometimes they are trying to be helpful when they say things that are hurtful,but it's hard to be mature when one is the recipient of their mis-informed advice.
I think that this one is a big one that members of the church often use. They sometimes feel like they aren't spiritual enough or they're thinking too much of their own life and if they just help others more, they'll get better. They forget/don't know that often times, doing those things won't help them at all. Thanks for posting this one!
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