MENTAL
Children experience mental health concerns.
FACT! Everyone can experience mental health issues.
People with a mental health concern or illness never get better.
MYTH! With the right kind of help, most people with a mental health concern or illness do recover.
Having a mental illness is an excuse for bad behaviour.
MYTH! Everyone makes mistakes and behaves badly sometimes, not just people with a mental health concern.
People choose to have a mental health concerns or illness.
MYTH! People do not choose to have a mental health concern or illness any more than they would choose to have a physical illness.
Many famous people have mental health concerns.
FACT! For example, Adele and Selena Gomez both have depression and anxiety. Demi Lovato had an eating disorder. Miley Cyrus was diagnosed with depression.
Even though you might hear of them often, mental health problems are actually quite rare.
MYTH! 1 in 4 people experience mental health concerns. This is why it's so important to have open, supportive communication.
Mental health concerns or illnesses are contagious.
MYTH! You can not catch someone else's mental health by being in contact with them.
Changes in thinking, mood, or behaviour can signal a mental health concern.
FACT! These symptoms can tell you that something might be wrong, especially if the changes are sudden or continue for an extended period of time.
If you experience signs of mental illness, it is important that you seek help as soon as possible.
FACT! There are many people who can help you:
Mental health concerns or illnesses tend to begin before people become adults.
FACT! The first episode of a mental health concern or illness usually begins between the ages of 15 and 30. 70% of adults with a mental health problem or illness say that their first symptoms appeared in their teenage years.
Mental health concerns are made up of many parts.
FACT! Genetic, biological, personality and environmental factors causes mental illnesses.
People who have depression or anxiety usually get medicine from the doctor.
MYTH! Almost one half (49%) of those who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety have never gone to see a doctor about this concern.
Mental health concerns or illnesses are a sign that your brain is weak.
MYTH! Mental health concerns develop for a variety of reasons, but it doesn't mean you're weak.
Depression is one type of mental illness that people are usually able to snap out of.
MYTH! There is no such thing as "snapping out of it". This term is not a realistic or possible strategy for dealing with any mental health concern.
There is a difference between stress and anxiety before a test.
FACT! It's normal to experience stress before a test, or something else that is important to you. Anxiety is a condition diagnosed by a doctor, and it is ongoing.