When it comes to mental illness and mental disorders there are some common misconceptions. Some of these are absurd, some are more plausible, but they are all dangerous and damaging. Someone who suffers from one or more mental disorders needs support, attention, and treatment, but many of the most common misconceptions about mental illness get in the way. 4 common mental illness misconceptions include:
1. One common misconception when it comes to mental disorders is that these are not at all common. This is false, mental illness is far more common than many people realize. A National Institute of Mental Health study showed that 18.6% of the adult US population, or approximately more than 43 million people, suffer from some type of mental disorder.
2. A mental disorder is often mistakenly viewed as a lack of willpower, with simple believing that the individual is just not trying hard enough or that these people are weak or just making excuses for laziness. This misconception is very damaging as well as being false. The mentally ill are not just weak, lazy, or underachieving, and their issues will not disappear with more effort or willpower.
3. Having one or more mental disorders is often seen as a sign that the individual has a higher risk for violence, but most of the time this is not actually true. In many situations the mental condition makes the individual more prone to self harm and they may actually be less of a risk for violence when it comes to the general public.
