For example, a new father may not know anything about depression until he watches his wife wade through the dark waters of post-partum depression. Parents of an older teen likely laughed at jokes about schizophrenia until their family was torn apart by their son’s diagnosis. A tight-knit group of co-workers probably never gave bipolar disorder a second thought until one of their cohorts began to struggle with signs of the illness.

It’s human nature: Most of us know little about something until we come face-to-face with it. Until then, it’s easier to believe myths than to seek out accurate information.

Here are some of the common myths and realities:

• Myth:  People with mental illness are poor and/or less intelligent.
  
  Reality:  Many studies show that most people with a mental illness have average or above-average intelligence. Mental illness, like physical illness, can affect anyone regardless of intelligence, social class, or income level. 
  
  
• Myth:  Mental illness is caused by a personal weakness.
  
  Reality: Mental illness is not a character flaw. It is an illness, and it has nothing to do with being weak or lacking willpower. Although people with mental illnesses can play a big part in their own recovery, they did not choose to become ill and they are not lazy because they cannot just “snap out of it.”
  
  
• Myth:  If I seek help for a mental health issue, others might think I’m a wimp or even crazy.
  
  Reality: Seeking appropriate help is a sign of strength, not weakness. No one should delay getting treatment for a mental health problem that is not getting better, just as no one should wait to take care of a physical condition that needs treatment. The wisest, most courageous way to cope is to seek help because early treatment can produce more positive results.
  
  
• Myth:  Mental illness is a single, rare disorder.
  
  Reality: Mental illness is not a single disease but a broad classification for many disorders. Anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, personality disorders, eating disorders, and attention deficit disorders have been life-altering for millions of Canadians.
  
  
• Myth:  People with mental illness are violent and dangerous.
  
  Reality: As a group, people with a mental illness are no more violent than any other group. In fact, they are far more likely to be the victims of violence than to be violent themselves.
  
  
• Myth:  People with mental illness never get better.
  
  Reality: With the right kind of help, people with mental illnesses do recover and go on to lead healthy, productive lives. While the illness may not go away, the symptoms associated with it can be controlled.

Mental illnesses are thought to be triggered by:

• A chemical imbalance in the brain;
• Genetics;
• Psychological and social factors such as a traumatic life event.

Brain Chemistry

A chemical imbalance in the brain is caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters which can lead to symptoms such as depression, anxiety, or stress reactions. We are all at-risk for changes in our brains’ chemistry. Recognizing these changes is an important part of treatment and the return to health.

Biological factors, including the following, can also affect the brain’s chemistry and the onset of a mental illness:

• Pre-natal damage;
• Birth trauma;
• Viral infection;
• Faulty brain chemistry.

Genetics

Most mental illnesses are more common among close family members, which suggests that genetics plays a role too. People, however, don’t inherit the illness itself. They just inherit the tendency to get it.

Psychological and Social Factors

Psychological and social factors are also major contributors to mental health, and negative experiences within our family or social circle can have a huge impact on our ability to cope and our tendency to become mentally ill. It is commonly thought that mental illness can be triggered by a traumatic life event or situation and/or prolonged stress. Some examples are as follows:

• Lack of support from relationships;
• Child abuse and neglect;
• Family violence;
• Severe or prolonged stress;
• Unemployment;
• Major changes in life.

Your emotional health comes from a combination of your attitudes, personality, support systems, and brain chemistry. Positive attitudes and healthy lifestyle choices may help us through many of life’s difficulties. A good support system of family and friends is also valuable during challenging times. But a mental illness can affect even the most upbeat, “can-do,” well-adjusted person, just as a physical illness can affect those who are diligent about their physical health.

Symptoms can vary with each type of mental illness and each individual. The following are some common symptoms to watch for:

• Confused thoughts, delusions, and/or hallucinations;
• Extreme fears or anxiety that seem “out of proportion” to circumstances or events;
• Lack of motivation for a prolonged period of time (more than two weeks);
• Persistent feelings of helplessness or hopelessness;
• Loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed;
• Extreme mood swings between depression and mania, sometimes with overly reckless behaviour;
• Repeated, unusual actions such as handwashing or checking of lights;
• Unexplained physical symptoms such as nausea, trembling, fatigue, or headache;
• Difficulty concentrating and/or sudden irritability;
• Disruption to usual sleep patterns;
• Talk or thoughts of suicide.

While some of these symptoms are uncomfortable or frightening to talk about, the sooner you seek help, the better you will be prepared to manage a mental illness. Reaching out also reminds us that we are not alone, and there are professionals with expertise who can help.

The circumstances that can lead someone to take their own life are varied, but all people who consider suicide feel that life is unbearable. They sense extreme hopelessness, helplessness, and desperation.

By learning about and paying attention to warning signs, even if it means asking uncomfortable or embarrassing questions, loved ones can help prevent a suicide and help access professional assistance for those feeling suicidal.

The complex sense of loss after a suicide can be overwhelming, and specific programs designed to help survivors of suicide are available.

Warning signs of someone at risk of suicide may include:

• Repeated expressions of hopelessness, helplessness, or desperation;
• Behaviour that is out of character, such as recklessness in someone who is normally careful;
• Signs of depression, such as sleeplessness, social withdrawal, loss of appetite, loss of interest in usual activities;
• A sudden and unexpected change to a cheerful attitude;
• Giving away prized possessions to friends and family, making a will, taking out insurance, or other preparations for death, such as telling final wishes to someone close;
• Making remarks related to death and dying, or expressing an intent to commit suicide. An expressed intent to commit suicide should always be taken very seriously.

Preventing a suicide attempt

If you are concerned that someone may be suicidal, take action immediately. Talking with them is a great way to help. Practice active listening, and help them create a plan to find assistance.

It is important to understand that ADD and ADHD are not disabilities in the learning process, although they may be present in addition to a learning disability. A learning disability is a neurological condition that affects a person’s ability to learn.

ADD and ADHD are two of the most common mental disorders that develop in children. These disorders can cause impaired functioning in multiple settings, including in homes, schools, and relationships with peers.

If one person in a family is diagnosed with ADHD, there is a 25 to 35 percent probability that another family member also has ADHD, compared to afour to six percent probability for someone in the general population.

Symptoms:

Symptoms of ADD and ADHD appear over the course of many months and include:

• Impulsiveness (acts quickly without thinking first);
• Hyperactivity is seen in ADHD (can’t sit still, walks, runs, or climbs around when others are seated, talks when others are talking);
• Inattention (daydreams or seems to be in another world, is sidetracked by what is going on around him or her);
• Often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes;
• Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly;
• Often fails to follow instructions carefully and completely;
• Loses or forgets important things;
• Feels restless, often fidgets with hands or feet, squirms, runs, or climbs excessively;
• Often talks excessively;
• Often blurts out answers before hearing the whole question (has difficulty waiting his or her turn).

Many people who have one of these disorders lead very productive lives, and a wide variety of treatment options are available.

Symptoms:

• Increased tolerance for alcohol or other substance (perhaps needing increased amounts to achieve the same effect);
• Withdrawal symptoms, taking alcohol or drugs in larger amounts than intended or over a longer time period than intended;
• Persistent desire to decrease, or the inability to decrease, the amount of alcohol or drugs consumed;
• Spending a great deal of time attempting to acquire the substance;
• Continuing to use the substance even though the person knows there are reoccurring physical or psychological problems being caused by the substance abuse.

Drug and alcohol dependency can also lead to depression and other mental and physical health issues. Treatment options vary widely, and the success of treatment programs also varies according to the individual and the support network that they can access.

Some deviations may be quite mild and interfere little with the individual’s home or work life, while others may cause great disruption in both the family and society. Specific situations or events trigger the behaviours of a personality disorder.

Symptoms:

• Difficulty getting along with people. May be irritable, demanding, hostile, fearful, or manipulative;
• Patterns of behaviour deviate markedly from society’s expectations and remain consistent over time;
• Disorder affects thought, emotion, interpersonal relationships, and impulse control;
• The pattern is inflexible and occurs across a broad range of situations.

• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
  This is one example from the approximately 11 diagnosable personality disorders.
  • Specific symptoms include:
    • Highly unstable patterns of social relationships. While someone with BPD can develop intense but stormy attachments, their attitudes towards family, friends, and loved ones may suddenly shift from idealization (great admiration and love) to devaluation (intense anger and dislike);
    • May experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most, a day. These may be associated with episodes of impulsive aggression, self-injury, and drug or alcohol abuse;
    • Distortions in cognition and sense of self can lead to frequent changes in long-term goals, career plans, jobs, friendships, gender identity, and values;
    • May view themselves as fundamentally bad or unworthy;
    • May feel unfairly misunderstood or mistreated, bored, empty, and have little idea who they are;
    • Such symptoms are most acute when people with BPD feel isolated and lacking in social support and may result in frantic efforts to avoid being alone;
    • Highly sensitive to rejection with a fear of abandonment;
    • Other impulsive behaviours, such as excessive spending, binge eating, and risky sex.

Personality disorders can be the most difficult to treat, as they are often unrecognized by the individual experiencing one. Many people who have a personality disorder don’t seek help because they’re able to live normally in some ways – keeping a job, for example. Individual and group psychotherapy combined with anti-depressants and mood stabilizers have shown promise in treating personality disorders, and new treatment programs are also showing promise.

People with schizophrenia experience severe symptoms of mixed-up thoughts or delusions and bizarre behaviour (Psychosis).

Symptoms:

There are different types of schizophrenia, each with particular symptoms. In general, the following are some characteristics of schizophrenia:

• Hallucinations (something a person sees, hears, smells, or feels that no one else can see, hear, smell, or feel).  “Voices” are the most common type of hallucination in schizophrenia;
• Delusions (false personal beliefs) that are not part of the person’s culture and do not change, even when other people present proof that the beliefs are not true or logical;
• Disordered thinking (unusual thought processes);
• Movement disorders – People with schizophrenia can be clumsy and uncoordinated. They may also exhibit involuntary movements and may grimace or exhibit unusual mannerisms. They may repeat certain motions over and over or, in extreme cases, may become catatonic;
• Flat affect (immobile facial expression, monotonous voice);
• Social withdrawal  (lack of pleasure in everyday life, diminished ability to initiate and sustain planned activity, and speaking infrequently, even when forced to interact);
• Cognitive deficits or impairments often interfere with the patient’s ability to lead a normal life and earn a living. They can cause great emotional distress.

Some people will have only one episode of very severe symptoms, and others will have many episodes throughout their lives but manage to live a relatively normal life between these episodes of psychosis. A wide variety of treatment programs are available, as the course of schizophrenia varies with each individual.

• Anorexia Nervosa
  Anorexia Nervosa is one of the most common eating disorders. This serious illness involves drastic weight loss due to fasting and may be accompanied by excessive exercise.
  • Symptoms:
    • Resistance to maintaining body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height;
    • Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight;
    • Disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight;
    • Infrequent or absent menstrual periods (in females who have reached puberty);
    • Viewing self as overweight, even though dangerously thin;
    • Unusual eating habits, such as avoiding food and meals, picking out a few foods and eating these in small quantities, or carefully weighing and portioning food;
    • Repeatedly checking body weight, which is usually below normal.

• Bulimia
  This involves binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting and the abuse of laxatives.
  • Symptoms:
    • Episodes of binge eating, characterized by eating an excessive amount of food followed by self-induced vomiting;
    • Recurrent, inappropriate compensatory behaviour in order to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting or misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas, or other medications (purging); fasting; or excessive exercise;
    • Inappropriate compensatory behaviours both occur, on average, at least twice a week for at least three months;
    • Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight;
    • May be normal body weight.

• Binge Eating Disorder (compulsive eating)
  This is often overeating, often in secret and often carried out as a means of deriving comfort.
  • Symptoms:
    • Recurrent episodes of binge eating, characterized by eating an excessive amount of food and by a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode;
    • Binge-eating episodes are associated with at least three of the following: eating much more rapidly than normal; eating until feeling uncomfortably full; eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry; eating alone because of being embarrassed by how much one is eating; feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty after overeating;
    • Marked distress about the binge-eating behaviour;
    • Binge eating occurs, on average, at least two days a week for six months;
    • Binge eating is not associated with the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviours (e.g., purging, fasting, excessive exercise);
    • May be over normal body weight.

An eating disorder is a problematic coping strategy. People with eating disorders may feel shame about weight fluctuations, and low self-esteem may exacerbate the illness. Successful treatment involves initially stabilizing the nutritional status of the person with an eating disorder, followed by a variety of psychotherapies. Preventive interventions in high-risk populations are also showing positive results.