5 Myths and Misconceptions about Depression

Mental Health is viewed as a taboo subject - it has a lot of negative stigma tied to it. Is it because generation Y self-diagnose themselves with surveys they have found in the midst of the Internet? Is it because you need to be diagnosed by a doctor before you can wallow in self-pity? Depression slowly sucks the life out of its victims despite the fact it might not be visible to the human eye. It is an invisible force that leaves individuals powerless and without a voice. Here are the main reasons why...

MYTH #1: “Depression means you’re crazy.”

MISCONCEPTION: Depression can affect anyone at any time regardless of their gender, class, age, race, etc. Depression and other forms of mental illness do not dehumanise an individual by any means. So, why do they get treated differently? Is it due to a lack of research and knowledge? Is it because there is no ‘concrete evidence’ to show the pain and suffering that they’re experiencing? A lot of outsiders tend to view victims as being “violent” but statistics show that individuals whom are suffering from a mental illness are more likely to be a VICTIM of violence as opposed to being the CAUSE of it. Therefore, it is important that the victim is treated like any other individual in order to avoid further distress.

MYTH #2: “Depression is not a real illness.”

MISCONCEPTION: It is often said that Mental Illnesses are not REAL illnesses due to the fact that they’re not visible. However, Depression is a serious medical condition which affects an individual mentally, emotionally and/or physically. It is a mood disorder which causes a perpetual feeling of sadness to arise. Individuals experience a loss of interest in a number of activities and find a great deal of difficulty when it comes to undertaking day-to-day tasks due to their current state of mind. This is why outsiders have the idea that mental health problems are rare but statistics show that 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem in any given year. 

MYTH #3: “Antidepressants solve everything.”

MISCONCEPTION: There are a lot of misconceptions regarding antidepressants due to the fact that they are viewed as being the ANSWER to patient’s prayers because they are effective, safe and although they aren’t guaranteed to work, there is a high chance that they will. Antidepressants are essentially, the long-term treatment for clinical depression and anxiety disorders hence why so many people are sceptical about them. Many outsiders fear that individuals will become addicted to antidepressants but that is absurd since they don’t cause cravings. However, if the patient is on high doses then it is important that their medication isn’t abruptly stopped as it can be a shock to the system. At the end of the day, it depends on the severity of the disorder, the effectiveness of treatments, etc. The best remedy is a combination of therapy and medicine to balance it out.

MYTH #4: “What good will talking about it do?”

MISCONCEPTION: Unfortunately, the hard-hitting emotions won’t disappear overnight - that is why it’s an unhealthy idea to harbour negative feelings. A common myth is that it’s EASY for young individuals to speak to their friends about their feelings. However, statistics show that nearly three in four young people fear the reactions of friends when they talk about their mental health problems. This is primarily due to the fact that discrimination is still a big PROBLEM in today’s society. As much as it is encouraged that individuals speak to a psychiatrist, outsiders must take into consideration how difficult it is for someone to speak out about how they feel especially when they are constantly getting judged by people whom are not as knowledgeable about the subject. Speaking out about your emotions will allow you to get what’s bothering you off your chest and help to put your mind at ease.

MYTH #5: “You can easily ‘snap’ out of it.”

MISCONCEPTION: That is where people are wrong. You can’t just snap out of a mindset whenever it suits you, especially when you have very low energy. Put it this way, no one chooses to be diagnosed with an illness therefore it is an ignorant thing to say to someone whom is suffering from a mental illness regardless of whether they’re suffering from Depression, Diabetes, Cancer, etc. There is another misconception that those individuals are “lazy” and “weak” but it’s to do with a chemical imbalance in their brain – it is something which they are not in control of. Depression should be treated as seriously an efficiently any other illness.