Unmasking Mental Health

Written by: Naisha Choudhury

Have you ever been told you're being "too emotional" or "too dramatic" while expressing your thoughts? Such is the case for many around the world. Mental health has, for too long, been mocked, misconstrued, and misconceived, which makes it all the more difficult for those who experience issues regarding it to speak up and receive help. While these myths may seem harmless, they are actually more powerful than they appear. By that, I mean they discourage what should be encouraged - acknowledging and caring for your mental health.

Let us demystify some common misconceptions:

1. Mental health does not have any impact on physical health - While it is true that physical health has an impact on mental health, it is equally true that mental health plays a huge role in the physical health of a person. Studies show positive psychological well-being can reduce the risk of heart disease or strokes. On the other hand, poor mental health can have an adverse impact on your physical health. Those with depression are more susceptible to chronic diseases like diabetes, asthma, and cancer. Likewise, schizophrenia has been linked to several respiratory and cardiac diseases.

Those with mental illnesses are more likely to smoke than those without. This is perhaps because nicotine in cigarettes stimulates the production of dopamine (a happy chemical) in the brain which relieves the symptoms of depression which is caused due to low levels of dopamine; therefore, making it more likely for those with depression to develop an addiction.

2. People suffering from mental illnesses are abnormal or incapable of working - Most people with mental health issues can be just as productive as their counterparts without one. A U.S. study, published in 2014, shows that 54.5% of individuals with severe conditions were employed, compared to 75.9% without.

3. Mental illnesses are rare - The pandemic has exponentially increased the number of people experiencing issues with mental health. Currently, more than 450 million globally experience such conditions.

For all you math enthusiasts, in 2001, the WHO estimated that 1 in 4 people would be affected by a mental disorder at some point in their lives.

Despite this staggering statistic, it is still a widely held belief that mental illnesses are uncommon. While it is easy to laugh along with our friends when they say they ‘want to die because of the homework’, their feelings might just be much more intense than you would think. So, give them a shoulder to cry on or an ear to talk off because just those little things may just help them significantly.

4. Teenagers just ‘act out’ to seek attention and have mood swings due to hormones - This myth is responsible for invalidating the feelings of thousands of teenagers across the world, who are made to feel like what they think doesn’t matter and they just need to “get over it”. Beliefs like these impede the development of mental health and contribute to the mental illness of 14% of adolescents.. In fact, the fourth leading cause of death among people aged 15-29 is suicide.

5. Prevention of mental health conditions is impossible - Many factors can protect people from developing such conditions, like strengthening relationships, having healthy sleep schedules (could not be me), and seeking support when needed. The most important thing to maintain your mental health is to talk about your feelings, whether it be writing in a journal having big bold letters saying ‘DO NOT TOUCH’ on the cover or talking (read: gossiping) with your friends.

Mental health is essential to an individual's development, and maintaining it is essential to maintaining one's well being. Such outdated misconceptions harm people and prevent their upliftment, which is why they should be challenged rather than accepted. It is our responsibility to dispel these myths and educate people with facts.

Sources:

Unmasking Mental Health

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