The top 10 mental health myths

Myth 6: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also known as shock therapy, is painful and barbaric.
ECT has been around since 1938, long before drugs such as antidepressants like Prozac and Zoloft were developed, says Goldbloom. As with many therapies, ECT was overused when it was first discovered. Back then, understanding of the best use of the therapy was limited. Now, however, ECT is one of the most effective treatments for people whose depression is so severe that antidepressant medications just don't do the job and who are debilitated by the depression, says Goldbloom.

ECT got a bad rap from the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which inaccurately portrayed the therapy, says Goldbloom. For one thing, ECT was used in the film as a form of punishment, not as a treatment. Today patients are anaesthetized and their muscles are relaxed before ECT is administered, so that they have no awareness of the treatment and very minimal physical evidence of seizure activity.

Many frustrated patients actually request this therapy after other treatments fail. "Electroshocks to restart the heart are not considered barbaric, so why should ECT be?" asks Goldbloom.

There is still some debate in the field of psychiatry about possible long-term effects on memory and other cognitive functions in some patients, although most experts say the benefits far outweigh the risks. Researchers continue to refine the best ways to use this treatment.

Myth 7: People with a mental illness lack intelligence.
"This is completely false," says Kutcher. "Intelligence has nothing to do with mental illnesses or brain disorders." On one hand, many people with mental disorders are brilliant, creative, productive people. On the other hand, some people with mental disorders are not brilliant or creative. Certain mental illnesses may make it difficult for people to remember facts or get along with other people, making it seem like they are cognitively challenged. Overall, the level of intelligence among people with mental illness likely parallels the patterns seen in any healthy population.

Myth 8: People with a mental illness shouldn't work because they'll just drag down the rest of the staff.
People with mental illness can and do function well in the workplace. They are unlikely to miss any more workdays because of their condition than people with a chronic physical condition such as diabetes or heart disease, says White. Employees may not even be aware that a coworker suffers from a mental illness – proof that mental illness in the workplace may not even be an issue.

However, White points out that a stress-riddled workplace may be a breeding ground for the development of stress-related mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety disorders, and threaten the delicate work-life balance. "Stress is probably the most common, most pervasive factor causing depression in society," he says. Stress is also associated with increased risk for physical conditions such as heart disease and cancer.

The real problem is the prejudice against hiring people with mental illness, says White. The resulting unemployment leaves them isolated, a situation that can add to their stress, and make it more difficult to recover from the illness.

As individuals and as a society, "we need to interact with others in a much more emotionally aware and understanding fashion," he says.

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