So many accessories, so many cosmetics, and so much effort we put in to decorate and beautify our bodies and to enhance our physical appearance. But when it comes to the inner beauty that resides in a peaceful and healthy mind, we don’t think of it as something of much importance and simply ignore it. We don’t care much about our mental health. We get so blinded by materialistic things that we forget that only a healthy and sound mind can make our lives blissful. but it doesn’t end here, we are not only ignorant but also scared and ashamed of mental illness. We have made mental illness a taboo.

So many stigmas and misconceptions have been formed around mental illness in our society that it is time we address these problems and try to understand where have we gone wrong.

Here are 5 major misconceptions about mental health

There Is No Such Thing. Relax!!!

“Chill, there is no such thing, you are just overthinking.” How many times have you heard this or said this as the first reaction to someone trying to share that they feel depressed.

People tend to think that the person is probably just stressed out and is overthinking and overreacting. this might be very plausible but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is true every time. different people feel different emotions and perceive things differently, hence something that might seem petty to us can be a serious issue for the other person.

And in case we, ourselves are feeling depressed and require help we go into denial and make ourselves believe that it’s just a phase and that this too shall pass. This is our standard approach to such issues which is even worse than being ignorant because this is staying in trouble even after acknowledging it.

Depressed People Are Crazy

The idea that depression causes people to be violent, harmful, and crazy is perpetuated in our minds by the stigma and stereotypes of depression formed out of half or no knowledge. Depending on different parameters depression can range from mild to severe, silent to violent, and from short-term to lifelong. Instead of assisting people facing such issues with help, we are sadly mistaken and think running away is a better option. depression doesn’t always make people violent, uncontrollable, and harmful.

Things Will Never Change

This is incorrect. nothing is constant, not happiness, not a success, and not even your depression. Right medical assistance and a little care can help people get better and sometimes even overcome their problems completely. suppressing and avoiding such issues only increase them and can make the situation even more harmful. Remember acceptance is the first step towards changing for the better.

Seeking proper help can pull you out of your depression and maybe one day it will also pull people out of this misconception.

Depression Is A Sign Of Weakness

This might be the biggest misconception about depression. This stigma acts as a poison for people facing depression by preventing them from seeking help. and makes them insecure about themselves and leads them into thinking that they are inferior and weaker than others.

Wherein the truth of the matter is that stronger are those who acknowledge their problems and try to get better. Falling ill is not a weakness but running away from it is.

Teens Don’t/Can’t Suffer From Depression

The judgemental and stereotypical thinking that someone in their teen years is the happiest and faces no problems and is living a stress-free life, hence can not fall mentally ill, is probably the most prevalent and toxic misconception.

Depression doesn’t necessarily always depend on ag, it is very much possible that a child can fall into depression after facing some trauma or peer pressure and so many other problems. but we often name it as ‘excuses’ and ignore such young individuals who are in great need of help.

If you have suffered from depression or know someone who is suffering, there are multiple organizations that offer help. please break free from these misconceptions and also spread awareness about depression. you can also help your loved ones by giving them a little support and assurance that they are not alone.