"Few families in the United States are untouched by mental illness. Determining just how many people have mental illness is one of the many purposes of the field of epidemiology. Epidemiology is the study of patterns of disease in the population. Among the key terms of this discipline, encountered throughout this report, are incidence, which refers to new cases of a condition which occur during a specified period of time, and prevalence, which refers to cases (i.e., new and existing) of a condition observed at a point in time or during a period of time. According to current epidemiological estimates, at least one in five people has a diagnosable mental disorder during the course of a year (i.e., 1-year prevalence).

Epidemiological estimates have shifted over time because of changes in the definitions and diagnosis of mental health and mental illness. In the early 1950s, the rates of mental illness estimated by epidemiologists were far higher than those of today. One study, for example, found 81.5 percent of the population of Manhattan, New York, to have had signs and symptoms of mental distress (Srole, 1962). This led the authors of the study to conclude that mental illness was widespread. However, other studies began to find lower rates when they used more restrictive definitions that reflected more contemporary views about mental illness. Instead of classifying anyone with signs and symptoms as being mentally ill, this more recent line of epidemiological research only identified people as mentally ill if they had a cluster of signs and symptoms that, when taken together, impaired people’s ability to function (Pasamanick, 1959; Weissman et al., 1978). By 1978, the President’s Commission on Mental Health (1978) concluded conservatively that the annual prevalence of specific mental disorders in the United States was about 15 percent. This figure comports with recent estimates of the extent of mental illness in the population. Even as this figure has become more sharply delineated, the older and larger estimates underscore the magnitude of mental distress in the population, which this report refers to as “mental health problems.”

Myth #1: Psychiatric disorders are not true medical illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. People who have a mental illness are just "crazy."

Fact: Brain disorders, like heart disease and diabetes, are legitimate medical illnesses. Research shows there are genetic and biological causes for psychiatric disorders, and they can be treated effectively.

Myth #2: People with a severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, are usually dangerous and violent.

Fact: Statistics show that the incidence of violence in people who have a brain disorder is not much higher than it is in the general population. Those suffering from a psychosis such as schizophrenia are more often frightened, confused and despairing than violent.

Myth #3: Mental illness is the result of bad parenting.

Fact: Most experts agree that a genetic susceptibility, combined with other risk factors, leads to a psychiatric disorder. In other words, mental illnesses have a physical cause.

Myth #4: Depression results from a personality weakness or character flaw, and people who are depressed could just snap out of it if they tried hard enough.

Fact: Depression has nothing to do with being lazy or weak. It results from changes in brain chemistry or brain function, and medication and/or psychotherapy often help people to recover.

Myth #5: Schizophrenia means split personality, and there is no way to control it.

Fact: Schizophrenia is often confused with multiple personality disorder. Actually, schizophrenia is a brain disorder that robs people of their ability to think clearly and logically. The estimated 2.5 million Americans with schizophrenia have symptoms ranging from social withdrawal to hallucinations and delusions. Medication has helped many of these individuals to lead fulfilling, productive lives.

Myth #6: Depression is a normal part of the aging process.

Fact: It is not normal for older adults to be depressed. Signs of depression in older people include loss of interest in activities, sleep disturbances and lethargy. Depression in the elderly is often undiagnosed, and it is important for seniors and their family members to recognize the problem and seek professional help.

Myth #7: Depression and other illnesses, such as anxiety disorders, do not affect children or adolescents. Any problems they have are just a part of growing up.

Fact: Children and adolescents can develop severe mental illnesses. In the United States, one in ten children and adolescents has a mental disorder severe enough to cause impairment. However, only about 20 percent of these children receive needed treatment. Left untreated, these problems can get worse. Anyone talking about suicide should be taken very seriously.

Myth #8: If you have a mental illness, you can will it away. Being treated for a psychiatric disorder means an individual has in some way "failed" or is weak.

Fact: A serious mental illness cannot be willed away. Ignoring the problem does not make it go away, either. It takes courage to seek professional help.

Myth #9: Addiction is a lifestyle choice and shows a lack of willpower. People with a substance abuse problem are morally weak or "bad".

Fact: Addiction is a disease that generally results from changes in brain chemistry. It has nothing to do with being a "bad" person.

Myth #10: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), formerly known as "shock treatment," is painful and barbaric.

Fact: ECT has given a new lease on life to many people who suffer from severe and debilitating depression. It is used when other treatments such as psychotherapy or medication fail or cannot be used. Patients who receive ECT are asleep and under anesthesia, so they do not feel anything.

"These misconceptions can do irreparable harm to people with legitimate illnesses who should and can be treated," said Herbert Pardes, M.D., President of NARSAD’s Scientific Council.

What Causes Mental Illness?

The fact is, no one knows for sure. Most current evidence points to a physical component to mental illnesses, and that these illnesses are medical conditions caused by changes in the chemistry of the body and brain. Scans of the brains of people with mental illnesses can show a distinct difference between their brains and those of people without mental illness. Other research has shown links to a person’s physical makeup, and that people who inherit particular combinations of genes may be more likely to become mentally ill. A person’s environment has an important effect on their mental health, as well. But no one stressful event or experience is likely the "cause" of a mental illness, and no one can "make" another person mentally ill.

Mental illnesses do not have obvious causes like a broken arm or blindness – you can’t see the broken brain. Mental illness can cause people to behave in ways that are hard to understand and make others uncomfortable or frightened. And when we don’t understand something, we often ridicule or fear it. People living with a mental illness not only need to manage their symptoms but have to adjust to a new awareness that others may think or say they are "crazy."

Because of this lack of understanding, people sometimes "blame the victim" when that person shows signs of mental illness. But mental illnesses are not character flaws or signs of personal weakness. Nor are they conditions that will just disappear if a person "thinks positive" or tries to "snap out of it." Anyone who has experienced the agony of a mental illness knows that no person would choose to live their life in this way.

Devaluing mental illness is not acceptable. Don’t let this prevent you from getting help. Your illness does not define who you are."