In this week’s post, we’ll be looking the stigmas specific to the most common mental illnesses. This includes depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bipolar disorder. Many of the stigmas associated with these mental illnesses work to dismiss the legitimacy and severity of the conditions.
Depression
This mood disorder is marked by a significant low mood and inactivity, which effects an individual’s behavior, attitude, thoughts, and feelings. The simplified, mnemonic version of the symptoms is S-sleep changes; I-Interest (loss of); G-Guilt or worthlessness; E-Energy (lack of); C-Cognition/concentration (lack of); A-Appetite (loss of or decreased); P-Psychomotor retardation or agitation; S-Suicidal ideation or thoughts.
Depression is just feelings of sadness
While sadness is a symptom of depression, it is not the only symptom. Individuals with depression often struggle with physical, emotional, and cognitive changes as well.
Depression is a sign of weakness
Having depression has nothing to do with the strength of an individual. Depression is a serious medical condition that is often triggered by traumatic life events or serious life experiences, which may be difficult to cope with. For example: divorce, deaths, abuse, etc.
Depression is only be treated by medication
While medication is a viable option for treatment, psychotherapeutic interventions, counseling, and changes in lifestyle and diet are all effective treatments. However, since the treatment is dependent on the individual’s case, medicinal and psychotherapeutic treatments may be combined to create a more effective and specialized treatment plan.
Depression is not a real medical illness
Depression, especially clinical depression, is a very serious medical condition and it impacts an individual’s physical state as well as their cognitive and emotional state. Depression also has genetic links and can often be a hereditary condition. Research has shown that individuals with depression have decreased activity in some parts of the brain and higher levels of stress hormones in their body.
Depression is always inherited
A family history of depression may mean an individual has a genetic predisposition to having the condition but that is in no way all conclusive. A genetic or familial link does not confirm that an individual will have depression.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder is a mental illness that results in severe fluctuations of moods, as well as other symptoms. On one end of the spectrum is a severely depressive mood and on the other end is a manic mood. The symptoms of the manic state are simplified as: D-Distractibility; I-Irresponsibility; G-Grandiosity; F-Flight of ideas; A-Activity (increased); S-Sleep (decreased); T-Talkativeness (increased). In between the depressive and manic state, an individual tends to feels normal.
Bipolar disorder and mood swings are the same
Just like depression cannot be limited to just being feelings of sadness, bipolar disorder cannot be limited to simply having mood swings. With bipolar disorder, the mood swings are significantly more erratic and severe, and usually interfere with an individuals day-to-day functioning. Bipolar mood swings are also long term; they can last up to a few weeks. During the manic state, an individual can make irrational and reckless decisions leading to conflicts with family, career, or friends. This leads to the next stigma…
Bipolar Disorder is limited to mood
As mentioned above, bipolar disorder has an impact on an individuals body physically, their emotions and moods, their cognition, as well as their decisions. While bipolar disorder is a mood disorder, individuals are affected in many different ways.
Individuals with bipolar disorder can’t hold positions of authority because they are unstable
With proper treatment and management, individuals are fully capable of holding positions of authority, without an impact on job performance.
Anxiety
While anxiety is a normal human emotion, an anxiety disorder is when this emotion begins to consume an individual and begins to interfere with their daily functioning and impacts their life. The symptoms can be briefly outlined as: W-Worry (excessive); A-Anxiety; T-Tension in muscles; C-Concentration difficulty; H-Hyperarousal (irritability); E-Energy loss; R-Restlessness; S-Sleep disturbances.
Individuals with anxiety should avoid stressful situations
Constantly avoiding stressful situations is impossible to do and can often lead to more anxiety. It is unhealthy and ineffective to treat yourself, if you have anxiety, or others with anxiety as fragile.
Anxiety can only be treated with medication
While medication is an effective treatment, there are also alternative treatments such as counseling. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is particularly effective for treatment of anxiety. Like depression, a combination of treatments may be the best options depending on the individual’s case.
A healthy lifestyle is the perfect cure for anxiety
Exercise, a healthy diet and lifestyle, and avoiding caffeine are excellent choices to make to manage anxiety. However, these choices are not a cure for anxiety and long-lasting treatment includes cognitive changes, habitual changes, and self-awareness.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD is characterized by recurring thoughts, known as obsessions, and behaviors, known as compulsions. This disorder is long-term, chronic, and can interfere with an individual’s daily life. The symptoms can be briefly explained with the following: S-Stubborn; R-Rule-obsessed; I-Inflexibility; M-Miserly; P-Perfectionism; E-Excluding leisure to work; R-Reluctance to delegation.
OCD is only about cleanliness and everyone who cleans a lot has OCD
While a common sign of OCD is an obsession with cleanliness, it can also simply be a personal trait and not a symptom. However, constantly or excessively washing hands, showering, or disinfection the living space can be symptoms of OCD. Other fixations of OCD include checking and re-checking for errors, excessive worry or fear of incidents or accidents, and repeating routines to ensure nothing is wrong or missed.
Only women have OCD
There is no research to prove that only women, or even mostly women, have OCD. Women, men, children, and different racial, social, and ethnic groups are susceptible equally.
There is no treatment for OCD
As with anxiety and depression, the treatment for OCD can be psychotherapy, medicine, or a combination of both. The initial course of treatment usually entails exposure therapy that allows individuals to ‘face their fears’ and then learn to prevent themselves from responding how they would normally.