Sharing – 11 myths about mental health

I always like to check out lists like this. Often they serve as a reminder that there are, even in 2020, still too many people who believe things that are not true about mental health. Things like Mental Health issues are rare, permanent, lead to violence, or are a sign of weakness, we’ve all seen before. Many of us have not only read that, but we’ve faced that in our own lives, with people who believe these things.

Every once in awhile, though, these lists provide me with something that causes me to do a double take. Like this:

“5. Only people without friends need therapists”

Huh? Look, I have some great friends, who I love dearly. I even have some friends who are therapists, but none of those relationships is the equivalent of going to therapy. I spent a few years in therapy, with a great therapist, but she wasn’t my friend. She served a different purpose, one that I absolutely needed at the time, and which none of my friends could provide, no matter how much they cared or listened.

It’s not the same, and there’s absolutely no shame in needing a therapist when you need one. When something breaks in your house, unless you’ve been trained to do the work, you call an electrician, plumber, contractor, etc. You don’t call up a bunch of friends with no training to rewire your house, but you might call them up to help you paint after the electricians are done and the drywall is up, right?

See how that works? Both can support you, but in different ways. They are different.

Go check out the list yourself, anything on there that really stands out to you, or any that you’re just plain tired of dealing with?

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/medical-myths-mental-health-misconceptions