Mental Health – Answering your Questions & Dispelling the Myths, By Jane McNeice

Question

How many people does poor mental health affect?

Answer

About a quarter of the population will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year, with mixed anxiety and depression the most common mental disorder in Britain.

Mental Health Foundation (2015) at: www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Question

How many children have poor mental health?

Answer

Mental health problems affect about one in ten children and young people. They include depression, anxiety and conduct disorder, and are often a direct response to what is happening in their lives.

The emotional well-being of children is just as important as their physical health. Good mental health allows children and young people to develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults.

Mental Health Foundation (2015) at: www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Question

Are people with mental health problems dangerous?

Answer

Over a third of the public think people with a mental health problem are likely to be violent – in fact people with severe mental illnesses are more likely to be victims, rather than perpetrators, of violent crime.

The Facts

• The majority of violent crimes and homicides are committed by people who do not have mental health problems.
• People with mental health problems are more dangerous to themselves than they are to others: 90 per cent of people who die through suicide in the UK are experiencing mental distress
• In 2009, the total population in England and Wales was just over 43 million. It is estimated that about one in six of the adult population will have a significant mental health problem at any one time (more than 7 million people). Given this number and the 50–70cases of homicide a year involving people known to have a mental health problem at the time of the murder, clearly the statistics data do not support the sensationalised media coverage about the danger that people with mental health problems present to the community.
• According to the British Crime Survey, almost half(47 per cent) of the victims of violent crimes believed that their offender was under the influence of alcohol and about 17 per cent believed that the offender was under the influence of drugs. Another survey suggested that about 30 per cent of victims believed that the offender attacked them because they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In contrast, only 1 per cent of victims believed that the violent incident happened because the offender had a mental illness.
• Contrary to popular belief, the incidence of homicide committed by people diagnosed with mental health problems has stayed at a fairly constant level since the 1990s
• Substance abuse appears to play a role: The prevalence of violence is higher among people who have symptoms of substance abuse (including discharged psychiatric patients and non-patients).

Time to Change (2008) at: www.time-to-change.org.uk

Question

Do I always need medication to recover from mental illness?

Answer

Most people need assistance in rebuilding their lives after experiencing mental illness. Ideally, treatment involves biological (medical), psychological and social components. Whilst medications are the cornerstone of treatment for most mental illnesses, they are not sufficient in themselves to lead people to recovery. Instead, medications will alleviate or ease symptoms for most people, providing a window of opportunity to begin the journey to recovery. The on-going use of medications will also assist in stabilising symptoms and preventing relapse. Professional advice should always be sought before increasing, reducing, or changing medication.

Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria (2015) at: www.mifellowship.org

Question

Why is there stigma and discrimination around mental health and people with mental health problems?

Answer

People with mental health problems experience prejudice and discrimination in almost every aspect of their lives. Many have said the stigma of mental ill health is more disabling than the illness itself.

Research has shown that people with mental health problems are pre-judged, find it hard to get jobs and sustain friendships and relationships. Research has also shown that ignorance, fear, and stereotypes presented in the newspapers, on the TV and at the cinema, all contribute to negative attitudes towards mental ill health. Most people have little knowledge about mental illness and their opinions are often factually incorrect.

Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience (2013) at: www.mentalhealthcare.org.uk

Question

Is there anything I can do to look after my own mental health?

Answer

Scientific evidence points to five steps that we can take to improve our mental wellbeing. If you give them a try, you may feel happier, more positive and able to get the most from your life.

Your mental health is important. Some mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, are common.

If you have such an illness, it’s important to get the right treatment. However, there’s more to good mental health than avoiding or treating mental illness. There is also positive mental wellbeing.

NHS Choices (2015) at: www.nhs.uk

Question

What is split personality?

Answer

One of the most common misconceptions about schizophrenia is that it is “split personality,” which is completely false. The word “schizo” does mean “split,” but Eugen Bleuler, who coined the term schizophrenia in the 1920s, was describing the rupture in the person’s thinking process and emotional response. Psychiatrists consider “thought disorder” to be one of the hallmarks of schizophrenia and more specific to schizophrenia than auditory hallucinations or paranoid delusions, which can occur in other psychiatric disorders.

Multiple personality is an old term for what is now officially called “dissociative identity disorder,” or DID. It is characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities, which recurrently take control of the person’s behaviour. Persons with DID are often unable to recall important personal information, and this memory loss is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness, and is not due to alcohol intoxication (blackouts) or a medical disorder such as epilepsy.

While it is possible for an occasional schizophrenia patient to exhibit symptoms of DID, the vast majority do not. It is well-known that schizophrenia, which is a pervasive brain disease, may result in symptoms of other psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder. However, after treating thousands of people with schizophrenia over the past 25 years, I recall only one who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for DID.

Nasrallah (2007) at: www.everydayhealth.com