Myth vs. Reality Flyer
Mental Health Disorders
Reality: Depression is a state of being, it must last for 2 weeks (exhibit symptoms) for a person to be diagnosed.
Myth: Depression only occurs when bad things happen.
Reality: Depression occurs when an individual experiences a traumatic event, there is a chemical imbalance in the brain, or the disease was passed down through genetics.
Myth: Postpartum depression is an excuse women use for being bad mothers.
Reality: Postpartum depression happens within one year of birth and affects 10% of women. This is due to chemical imbalances with hormone levels that make the mother show symptoms of intense worry about the baby, suicidal feelings, and fears of harming the baby.
Myth: There is nothing you can do to treat depression,
Reality: Depression is treated through antidepressant medications, like Lithium, Prozac and Zoloft. They enable the neurotransmitters to pass serotonin more easy. Group therapy is also a common form of treatment.
Myth: Antidepressants and lithium can help anybody with a mood disorder
Reality: Most of the time, Lithium significantly helps those suffering from depression (85%) but not always. Many antidepressants do not work for people because brain chemistry varies greatly.
Myth: There are no outward signs of depression.
Reality: There are many outward symptoms of depression. Some include; isolation, change in appetite, loss of motivation, neglect of personal appearance, lack of energy etc.
Myth: Having mania is fun.
Reality: Mania is actually very scary. Individuals who suffer from mania experience extreme mood swings, show irritability, have a desire to take risks and are very compulsive with decisions which could be dangerous.
Myth: No one hallucinates while suffering from a mood disorder.
Reality: People who suffer from Manic Depression experience hallucinations regularly.
Myth: Everyone who has bipolar disorder experiences the disorder in the same way.
Reality: This is false. There are two types of bipolar disorder. Bipolar I, associated with long periods of mania with short periods of depression in between, and Bipolar II, associated with long periods of depression with short periods of mania in between. No two cases are identical.
Myth: Only people suffering from depression are suicidal.
Reality: It is true that certain depressions increase the thought of suicide (approximately 15%) but many other factors and disorders can lead to suicide, not just depression.