Misunderstood Mental Health Disorders
We are breaking down the mental health stigma each day. It’s essential to continue to share, discuss, and validate individuals who struggle with their mental health, because most of us do at some point in our life. We also need to develop an understanding of disorders that may be considered a bit taboo. The more we talk about all mental health disorders, the more people who have these disorders will begin to understand that they are not alone. 1 in 4 people experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime - that includes your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors… Let’s continue to break through the stigma of mental health by sharing and understanding the complexities associated with it.
Here are just a few of the most commonly misunderstood mental health disorders:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
OCD is NOT as simple as being overly organized, clean, or controlling. Unfortunately, many people misunderstand this and therefore use the phrase “I’m a little OCD” very casually. This can invalidate someone who is genuinely struggling with the disorder.
People may experience "OCD tendencies," but the disorder is often debilitating. Try using different language to describe your feelings of control, cleanliness, or tidiness.
To be categorized as a disorder, you must meet the DSM-V diagnostic criteria, including obsessions, compulsions, or both on most days, causing significant distress. The criteria are the baseline that many mental health professionals use for diagnosis. While it’s not foolproof, it can help distinguish an extreme case from other similar anxiety disorders.
There is a difference between Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder. Personality disorders are a whole different species of mental health disorders. Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder may look like OCD in some cases, but they are very different and should be treated differently.
Bipolar Disorders
Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Cyclothymic, Rapid-Cycling
These disorders are associated with patterns of manic, hypomanic, and/or depressive episodes. They are NOT someone simply experiencing "mood swings.” I believe this to be one of the most commonly misunderstood disorders, so I’ll repeat it – this is NOT someone having mood swings or being a bit upset one day and then happy the next. Depressive and manic/hypomanic episodes last for weeks up to months with variation in energy, sleep, & thought patterns.
Mania - known as the "extreme high"
Hypomania - a mild version of mania
Depression - known as the "extreme low"
Most cases require medication paired with frequent talk therapy and a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, there is no "cure," but it is a manageable condition that many people not only live with but thrive with.
Schizophrenia
This disorder involves hallucinations and/or delusions, abnormal thinking, mood variance, inability to manage emotions or relate to others. People with schizophrenia may have positive symptoms (those in which something abnormal is added to their thoughts or perceptions), negative symptoms (those in which something normal is removed from their thoughts or perceptions), and/or various disorganized symptoms. The symptoms have varying degrees.
Positive symptoms - hallucinations, delusions, paranoia
Negative symptoms - flat affect, loss of pleasure, inability to express emotions or even speak
Disorganized symptoms - disordered thinking and speech, abnormal movements
This disorder is NOT a multiple/split personality disorder. While some people may hear voices, this is much different from dissociative identity disorder (or what people think of as split personality). Contrary to popular beliefs, most people with schizophrenia are not any more violent than the general population. Most cases require medication paired with frequent talk therapy and a healthy lifestyle.
Eating Disorders
This set of disorders could be a post on its own (let me know if you want to see this). Eating disorders are a collection of disorders involving a disturbance in eating behaviors associated with distressing thoughts and emotions. Women AND men experience these disorders. Perceptions and thoughts are based on much more than just body image - there is a deep psychological and emotional struggle. It is not enough to simply "eat more" (also important to note that binge-eating disorder often does not involve food restriction & pica consists of eating things that are not actual food). Do not go to someone with an eating disorder and say this. This class of disorders is one of the most common and has the highest mortality rate.
Substance Use Disorders
This disorder is classified into several substance categories (including alcohol). Many substances involve chemical dependencies in the brain - it is not enough to tell someone to "just stop." In fact, to be considered a substance-use disorder, the person has tried to quit but has been unsuccessful. In many cases, substance use begins as a tool to self-medicate and cover unresolved trauma.
Contrary to what many realize, relapse happens, it's expected, and some even say it's necessary for recovery. Don’t be discouraged if you or someone you love relapses. Recognize it as a part of the process.
Like many disorders, this can affect the family and friends of the individual. Resources like al-anon, SMART, and NAMI are available for friends & family. Additionally, 12-step and similar programs are excellent for the individual with the disorder as well as friends and family.
