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New directions in research and treatment are bringing us closer to finding the cause
and cure for serious mental illness. New directions in public education are correcting the
myths of mental illness, and demanding that those who suffer from serious mental illness
receive the respect they deserve.
MYTH: People who are mentally ill should just pull themselves together and think
positively.
FACT: Serious mental illnesses are brain disorders over which people have
little or no control. New research shows that both the structure and the functioning of
the brain in those with mental illness are different than in well individuals.
MYTH: A person with schizophrenia has multiple personalities.
FACT: Schizophrenia is a disorder of the brain that changes the way people think.
"Split" or multiple personality disorder is a different and very rare form of
mental illness.
MYTH: Mental illness is caused by family stress or other life traumas.
FACT: Serious mental illness is not the product of "bad parenting" or other
causes, although stress may have an influence on when it appears.
MYTH: Mentally ill persons are dangerous and violent.
FACT: Mentally ill people are no more violent than the general population. The disease
exaggerates and distorts the personality. It does not change peaceful people into violent
ones.
What is Serious Mental Illness?
Serious mental illness affects 1 in 5 Californians, yet most of us know
very little about these brain disorders. Today, new directions in research, treatment and
public education hold new hope for those suffering from these illnesses.
Just what is serious mental illness? Schizophrenia and mood disorders are the two most
prevalent forms of serious mental illness. People with mental illnesses occupy more
hospital beds than people with cancer, heart disease and lung disease combined. Mental
illnesses cost the American public billions of dollar each year and they cause untold
grief to the ill persons and their families and friends.
What causes serious mental illness, and how can it be treated? Scientists are only now
beginning to find answers to these questions as they learn more about the brain.
(Approximately 95 percent of what we know about the brain has been learned in the last ten
years!) Our understanding of serious mental illness lags behind our understanding of other
major diseases like heart disease, ulcers, and pneumonia but is similar to our limited
knowledge about cancer and viral diseases.
What research has shown is that people with serious mental illness have some
structural and biochemical characteristics in their brain that are different from those of
people who are not mentally ill.
The causes of serious mental illness are not yet known. Heredity may play a role, but
is not a guarantee, either for or against developing it. There is currently no way to
predict whether an individual will develop serious mental illness, although high-risk
individuals can be identified at an early age.
Serious mental illness is usually, although not always, a chronic disease. While no
cure has yet been found, the symptoms can often be controlled with medication and other
treatment methods.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is now thought to be not a single disease, but a group of related
illnesses that cause disordered thinking and perceptions. Contrary to popular belief,
schizophrenia is not a split personality. Schizophrenia may cause a person to see things
that aren't there, hear voices, believe delusions, and express disconnected and confusing
thoughts. An individual with schizophrenia may also exhibit poor reasoning, memory,
judgment, and become very anxious, withdrawing from others.
Schizophrenia strikes one out of every 100 people. It most appears in the late teens
to early twenties. The most recent research indicates that schizophrenia affects men and
women equally, although it tends to appear earlier in males.
Some people experience one to several episodes of schizophrenia, but recover
completely. Most, however, suffer from the disease for the rest of their lives.
Certain symptoms of schizophrenia can be controlled with antipsychotic drugs. These
powerful drugs sometimes have undesirable side effects. For this reason, doctors need to
try different drugs and dosages to balance the effectiveness of the drugs against their
side effects.
Mood Disorders
Mood disorders are disturbances of mood, or affect. They are also called affective
disorders. Generally, mood disorders are divided into severe (uni-polar) depression and
manic-depressive illness (bi-polar disorder). Over 10 million people in the United States
are believed to suffer so severely from mood disorders that they are unable to live
normally. Bi-polar illness affects men and women at about the same rates; women are more
likely than men to suffer from (uni-polar) depression.
While everyone gets the blues now and then, some people become so severely depressed
that they cannot copy with every day life. Unless properly treated, severe depression may
lead to alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide as people seek relief from their pain.
People with a manic-depressive illness experience times when they feel depressed and
times when they have a exaggerated sense of well-being. When depressed, these individuals
may feel sad, hopeless, guilty, worthless and helpless. They may feel unusually tired, be
unable to concentrate, think of death and attempt suicide. During a manic episode, those
with manic-depressive disorder feel unreasonably elated. They can stay awake for days and
may talk, socialize, move around, engage in physical activity far more than usual, and
spend money wildly. During the manic phase of the illness, the individual has lots of
energy, and feels capable of achieving anything. The illness blinds the individual,
however, to harmful consequences and lack of success in what he or she tries to do.
Mood disorders can be effectively controlled in most people with medication.
Manic-depression is treated with lithium and anti-depressants. Over 80 percent of the
individuals suffering from depression can be helped by medication, sometimes coupled with
supportive psychotherapy.
How Can You Help?
Stigma about serious mental illness is a major barrier experienced by the mentally
ill and their families. It can prevent mentally ill persons from getting jobs, adequate
insurance, a decent place to live or the respect and understanding for other people.
What can you do to help combat the stigma of serious mental illness?
Learn more about mental illness. Help other people understand that mental
illness is a medical disease like cancer, heart disease or diabetes. The brain is an organ
of the body and, like the liver, lungs and stomach, it can malfunction and require
treatment.
Don't be afraid to hire someone solely because they have a mental illness. As
with all people, some persons with mental illness are capable of fulfilling the job
requirements and others are not.
Support research to discover the causes of and cures for mental illness. Make
sure mental illness is a priority in the eyes of the decision makers, and be supportive of
an adequate spectrum of community care facilities.
Help the mentally ill get help. If you know someone who suffers from mental
illness, encourage that person to seek appropriate medical help.
Go back to our Resources page for more information
Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 by Mental Health Association of Orange County. All rights reserved.
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