 When you hear that someone has a mental illness, what comes to mind?

Do not be “politically
correct”—be honest about your perceptions. How do they look? How do they act? Are they scary? 
Mental illnesses are ailments that affect emotion, thought, and behavior. (Or a combination of these).
Distress and/or difficulty coping with daily tasks at work, in the family, or in social situations can be
symptoms of mental diseases (What is mental illness? Psychiatry.org - What is Mental Illness? (n.d.).
When i hear someone has a mental illness, I think the worse, like they are suicidal, do not get the help
they need. Most people hide mental illnesses well, making it hard to realize who has a mental illness.  
 Where do you get most of your information about people with mental illness? 
I personally get my information from college lacrosse. Mental illness within athletes is a common
thing, so my coaches, trainers, and such do an excellent job making sure that we understand mental
health. Making sure we have mental health days etc. For me personally mental health was not big in
high school, it was not talked about as much as it should have been. So, coming to college I really
started to understand mental health more.  
 Are you affected by articles you read in the newspapers or see on the news? What misconceptions
about mental illness exist? 
Honestly, articles and newspapers do not affect me. The only few articles that I read were about
athletes that struggle with mental health, and how to prevent that within athletes. When someone is
defined by their condition rather than who they are as a person, a stigma occurs. As opposed to "a
person experiencing psychosis," they can be described as "psychotic." (Department of Health &
Human Services. 2015). Other misconceptions include All those who suffer from mental diseases are
crazy, health problems and mental ailments are incredibly uncommon, people with mental illnesses
are more violent, mentally unwell people are unable to contribute to society, if you have a mental
illness, you cannot recover, therapy/ treatment is terrifying. 
 
 Do you know anyone with a mental illness? 
Yes, I know quite a few people with mental illness. A few family members, and teammates. It is a
common thing. Growing up my family would hide other family members having a mental illness from
me. But they should have been educating me on mental health, instead.   
 
 
Department of Health & Human Services. (2015, September 18). Stigma, discrimination, and mental
illness. Better Health Channel. from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/servicesandsupport/
stigma-discrimination-and-mental-illness  
What is mental illness? Psychiatry.org - What is Mental Illness? (n.d.).
from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness 
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