Beliefs And Myths Of Mental Disorders: A Review Article

Misconceptions about mental illness are very prevalent, and the lack of understanding about the
disease can have serious consequences for millions of people. The humiliation of having mental
illness leads many people to feel ashamed and prevents them from seeking medical help. Mental
illness has good prognosis if diagnosed early, but most of the people think that once the person is
affected with mental illness, it can’t be cured. This thinking is a highly prevailing stigma in the
society, even when persons are treated and become normal, they are not accepted by society as a
healthy human beings. Some of myths are e.g. mental health conditions are very rare; people
experiencing mental distress are different from normal people and less able to participate in everyday
life; people with mental health conditions never recover; people with mental health conditions are
violent and unpredictable; people with psychotic conditions, like schizophrenia, constantly experience
severe symptoms like hallucinations and delusions.
This study was done to review the literature on myths and various beliefs associated with mental
disorders.