Three common myths about mental health

1. It won’t happen to me.

Most mental illnesses are stress related. Just as gravitational wear and tear inevitably produces osteoarthritic changes over several years, so too does cumulative life stress. Stress is ubiquitous and of the order of 1 in 5 will suffer clinical grade mental health issues, many more suffer subclinical distress.
 

2. People don’t get better.

As a private psychiatrist, those seeking help are at the core of my work. I have found many complex, persisting and impairing mental disorders. Still, among this group of people seeking help: recovery is the norm. For some, return of health is possible without ongoing care. For others, ongoing prevention and early intervention sustains their recovery - akin to managing common conditions like arthritis or osteoporosis.  
 

3. Simple advice works in complex cases.

Often simplicities are overlooked in terms of recovery. Eating well and exercising, along with stress management and positive thinking obviously help. But among the more unwell, implementing these steps can be hard, and in of themselves they are insufficient. For such cases, a blend of sophisticated talking and/or medication is needed. Sometimes hospital care is merited. Accessing experienced adept clinicians can be the challenge - but persevere because right care begets right outcomes.