Society has come a long way in terms of acknowledging mental health issues. In the past few decades, researchers, activists, and counsellors have played a major role in raising awareness about psychology. They have cleared most of the misconceptions; however, some myths remain. Psychology is as deep a subject as it is provocative. Not only is there a fair deal of unconscious thought, but the thoughts themselves can be of a questionable nature.
These misconceptions and myths impede progress and create a false idea of what mental health is all about. Considering the need to bring the truth to the surface and show the true face of mental health, here are four myths about mental health that you should know
It’s All In Your Head
If you are fighting a personal battle with mental illness, there’s nothing worse than hearing someone trying to explain that it’s all in your head. These illnesses are real, and depression is the single most prevalent illness in the world. Moreover, there is ample evidence to suggest that the biological basis of behaviour and emotion play a major role in illnesses.
Hence the reason why it takes a trained professional to deal with mental health cases. It takes years to become a counselling therapist and help clients with their mental health issues. The good news is that the journey to becoming a therapist is a whole lot easier today. With online education becoming a norm, people with a passion for psychology are pursuing their education online. A masters in counselling online grants the seeker the certification they need to play a part in helping mentally ill people and changing some of the myths society holds.
The longer our society thinks that mental illnesses are all in the head, the more we are trivialising the physical effects of them. Dealing with profound mental issues and then having people tell you that it’s not real can severely affect your progress too.
Addiction Is Easy To Overcome
Any form of addiction is an extremely difficult challenge to overcome. Whether it’s cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs, sheer willpower might not always do the trick. Though willpower is commendable, there’s so much more to it.
When you engage with a substance, it releases dopamine in your brain. This is what makes you feel good and derive pleasure from the experience. Take away the stimulant, and you have a very complicated imbalance of dopamine which can take months to sort out.
This is why so many people have a hard time breaking the habit. Not only does the brain demand the substance, but the body will feel prominent displeasure once you stop engaging with the addictive stimulus.
Just Eat Food!
Telling an anorexic or bulimic person to eat food is like telling a person with a fractured leg to walk it off. Anorexia and bulimia are serious diseases that can lead to multiple organ failure in extreme cases. Eating disorders, like all other mental health issues, have a biological basis. It would be absurd to assume that simply eating more food will magically make the illness disappear. A combination of behavioural modification, education, and emotional support plays a role in the recovery process. Coming out of an eating disorder is extremely difficult, hence why many don’t manage to do so. The main difference between anorexia and bulimia is that anorexics eat very little while bulimics tend to binge and then purge through vomiting. Both have severe consequences on the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of a person.
The worst part about eating disorders is that a lot of them are brought on by the media. The idea of the perfect body, preferring unnaturally skinny bodies and shaming healthy weight all contribute to eating disorders.
Psychology Majors/Therapists Can Read Your Mind
This is not true; psychology majors are not mind readers. They are just professionals who have a better understanding of the human mind than the average person. Psychologists and therapists help clients modify their behaviour and change the way they think about certain things. They also bring your unconscious thoughts to the surface. This involves hypothesising certain beliefs which the person might hold and gauging whether they are correct or not.
As they are trained professionals, their theories are often true. Hence the reason why it may come off as mind reading. However, they are simply going by the information which the client has provided throughout the therapy session.
Conclusion
Now that we have talked about myths ranging from eating disorders to mind reading and even addiction, it’s time we talked about how damaging these myths can be. Post-modernity has given us access to a wealth of information, and there is simply no use in remaining ill-informed.
Holding on to these misconceptions damages the progress of clients who are suffering and impedes the progress. Moreover, the longer some of these misconceptions linger, the strong the chance that the topic will remain taboo. Progressive thought change starts with a single person. Do your part. Learn the truth. Help yourself and others around you!
