 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?

o When I hear that someone has a mental illness what comes to mind would typically be anxiety,
depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. For people with anxiety, it can look like a panic
attack, difficulty breathing rapid heart rate, and overthinking. Depression can look like sadness the
feeling of emptiness and hopelessness, angry outburst, irritability, and frustration. Bipolar disorder can
look like extreme mood swings and lows of depression. Schizophrenia can look like delusions
hallucinations or disorganized speech. All symptoms described can vary per person with each illness. 
 Where do you get most of your information about people with mental illness?

o Before I began working in a hospital setting, I would mostly get all my information for people with
mental illness from social media, the news, and by word of mouth. It wasn't until I had to start dealing
with patients who had a whole bunch of mental illnesses for me to understand what exactly a mental
illness was. 
 Are you affected by articles you read in the newspapers or see on the news? What misconceptions
about mental illness exist?

o Articles in the news and newspapers affect everyone especially if that person does not have the right
kind of knowledge to understand mental illnesses. False information is what gives people a whole
bunch of misconceptions about mental illness. This affects me in a massive way. I suffer from anxiety
and depression and when people hear that all they think is that I'm nervous or I'm sad. I am a people
pleaser, and when the slightest thing is done to someone and they aren’t happy, I stress myself out
trying to please others. I am confident that in the heat of a very intense moment, I’d probably take a
bullet for a stranger. Some common misconceptions around mental illness is that all people with
mental illnesses are crazy and that oh mental illnesses and health disorders are extremely rare when
that's not the case.
 Do you know anyone with a mental illness?

o I know quite a few people with mental illnesses, myself included. I have anxiety and depression, and I
know plenty of people with the same thing, however their symptoms present in ways that are
completely different than mine. 
Reference:

Grasso, J. (2021), “10 Misconceptions about Mental Illness”, Lyra Health, 

            https://www.lyrahealth.com/blog/misconceptions-about-mental-illness/