There is a big stigma against have a mental illness where people feel ashamed of having their brain work differently. According to the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 80% of people experience mental illness or know someone who will. It is important not to forget about the myths that people have on mental illness that is preventing you from getting help.

Some people believe that once you have a mental illness, you will have to be on medication for the rest of your life and that it will change the way your brain works. Even if you do, that is not a bad thing. Medication will help stabilize neurotransmitters and not change who you are as a person. Others also believe that all you have to do is exercise and you will no longer have a mental illness. While it is true that exercise will help release feel-good endorphins and regulates adrenaline levels, but it will not be enough to help treat anxiety or depression. Exercise should be something that you do on the side as well as other methods of treatment like therapy and medication.

There are those who believe that are you have to do is think positively and your mental illness will go away. While it is important to be positive, positive thinking will not be enough to treat mental illness. You will still have underlying and subconscious negative thoughts in your head and some with anxiety feel frustrated instead of uplifted if they force positive thoughts. It is best to take your negative thoughts that already come to you naturally and make them realistic instead of expecting perfection such as admitting that you need to work on yourself but it is okay.

Maybe people have told you before that you can just snap out of your depression instead of lingering onto it. It is important for people to take depression as seriously as any physical illness. Just like if you sprained your ankle, someone would not tell you to snap out of it but they would give you proper care. With mental illness, you need encouragement to get help, support, and the best treatment plan. You also do not need to have a specific mental illness in order to get treated or have it last forever. Getting help for your mental health shows you realize you know you have a problem and are willing to fix it.

Located in Tacoma, Washington, Bayview Center’s mission is to offer clinically-driven programs and services to treat a number of substance abuse disorders along with anxiety and depression using cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, trauma therapy, yoga therapy, and more for a successful recovery. For more information, please call us at 888 570 7154 as we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.