Mental Illness: It's Not What You Think

FICTION: I could never become mentally ill.

FACT: Mental illness can strike anyone at any time. One in five Americans will suffer from some form of mental illness during their lifetime.

FICTION: Persons with mental illness are dangerous.

FACT: Most people with mental illness are not violent and are usually the victims, not the assailants.

FICTION: Schizophrenia means split personality.

FACT: Schizophrenia is not a split personality. It is a disease of the brain characterized by impairment in thinking, delusions, hallucinations and changes in emotion and behavior.

FICTION: Persons with mental illness actively seek treatment.

FACT: Only one half of people with schizophrenia and one third of people with depressive disorders seek treatment. If treated, 80-90% of these people will improve.

FICTION: Treatment of mental illness is covered under most insurance plans.

FACT: Insurance companies discriminate against mentally ill persons by consistently providing lower percentages of coverage for brain diseases than for any other physical diseases.

FICTION: Mental illness is the same as mental retardation.

FACT: Mental illness is not the same as mental retardation. The mentally retarded have diminished intellectual capacity usually present since birth. Those with mental illness are usually of normal intelligence although they may have difficulty performing at a normal level due to their illness. Mental illness is a term used for a group of disorders causing severe disturbances in thinking, feeling and relating. They result in substantially diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. Schizophrenia, major depression, and bipolar disorder are all forms of mental illness.

FICTION: Persons with mental illness and their families openly seek help.

FACT: People have become experts in hiding mental illness. Public misunderstanding, false perceptions and fears have contributed to the stigma and created obstacles to treatment, employment, housing, and support.

FICTION: There is a cure for mental illness.

FACT: There is no cure for mental illness at this time. Research into the cause, treatment and cure of mental illness has been sorely neglected. The federal research dollar per patient for the current year is $14 for schizophrenia and $10 for depression. The equivalent for heart disease is $130, for muscular dystrophy $1,000, for cancer $300, for multiple sclerosis $160, and for AIDS, $9,000.

FICTION: Mental illness is not prevalent.

FACT: Patients with mental illnesses fill more hospital beds per year than patients with heart disease, lung disease and cancer combined. The cost to society is estimated at $48 billion per year in medical expenses, social services and lost productivity.

FICTION: People become mentally ill because of the way their parents raised them or because they are lazy and weak willed.

FACT: Biological factors may contribute to the causes of mental illness including brain disease and heredity. Stress and the use of recreational drugs may trigger illness. More research is needed to determine the causes.

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If symptoms are evident such as -- severe and frequent depression, extreme changes in behavior, hallucinations, or attempted suicide -- see a doctor, psychotherapist, mental health center or agency. SEEK HELP FOR YOURSELF OR YOUR FAMILY MEMBER.