A lot of the sigma around mental illness comes from myths and misconceptions about it that have been around for a while. I started looking into it and found some really interest psychology facts as well that I thought I'd share.
Myth- Adults don't grow any new neurons
Truth - We do grow them, especially in the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory forming and emotional responses.
Myth- Alcohol kills brain cells.
Truth - It may not 'kill' the cells by excessive drinking may cause damage to the portals that send signals to the brain.
Myth- Its better to express anger than hold in it.
Truth- This is something I learnt about during therapy but have also read about in psychology books. Expressing your anger can actually feed into it and make the aggression worse. I've learnt that dealing with the sadness that often comes with anger is more effective in the long term.
Myth- We only use 10% of our brain.
Truth - People love the idea that we don't know how to use our brain to its full capacity, just imagine what we could do! But that's simply not the truth. 20% of our energy is used on brain power, and if we used more energy than then, it was simply be difficult or impossible to do anything else but think!
Myth - You can tell if someone has an eating disorder by looking at them.
Truth- People with eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes. Eating disorders such as bulimia, binge eating and even anorexia can look normal in size.
Myth- Eating disorders only affect women.
Truth-anyone can be affected by eating disorders, regardless of their gender.
Myth- The media is to blame for eating disorders.
Truth- There are numerous reasons why eating disorders can form, from a traumatic childhood, to genetics or simply a combination of multiple factors. The media may effect some peoples views on their bodies but eating disorders themselves are usually the result of many other reasons.
Myth- Self harm is a suicide attempt.
Truth - Self harm is coping mechanism for dealing with extreme emotions. In some cases, self harm prevents the person from actually attempting suicide.
Myth- There is no cure for mental illness.
Truth - This couldn't be further from the truth, there are many different forms of treatment for every mental illness, from medication to therapies, its about finding the right way to treat it for you.
If you want to learn more about mental illnesses and the common myths, check out the Mind website for a whole bunch of interesting information and advice. And remember that not everything you hear is true!
Becky x
