Common Fact or Myth’s
Some people are left brained, and some are right brained.
Myth!
Both sides of the brain are intimately inter-connected.
Poor mental health is not a big issue for teenagers.
Myth!
Teenagers often have mood swings, but that does not mean that adolescents may not also struggle with their mental health. Fourteen per cent of the world’s adolescents experience mental-health problems. Globally, among those aged 10–15, suicide is the fifth most prevalent cause of death, and for adolescents aged 15–19 it is the fourth most common cause. Half of all mental health conditions start by the age of 14.
ESP has been shown to be exist.
Myth!
By various estimates, 40-70% of Americans believe in some form of Extrasensory Perception. However, there is no reliable scientific evidence for any form of paranormal ability. Over 150 years of paranormal research has failed to find any consistently strong evidence for such abilities in people.
Bipolar disorder does not cause mood swings.
Fact!
Bipolar disorder does not cause mood swings. It causes cycles that last for weeks or months.
Bipolar disorder causes you to have episodes where you experience mania (high energy, rampant thoughts, inability to sleep, grandiose ideas or perspectives, etc.) and depressive states (feeling very sluggish, sad, suicidal, having low self-esteem, inability to concentrate, etc.) These extreme highs and lows take turns, but do not change or swing from moment to moment.
Forensic psychologists only work on murder cases.
Myth!
The truth is that while forensic psychologists are often called on criminal cases, their work is more about providing psychological evaluation on the mental health of an individual involved in a court case whether for the defense or plaintiff team.
In fact, they can be called to provide analysis and testimony on criminal, civil, and domestic cases.
In criminal cases, these experts may be asked to evaluate a defendant to determine if he is fit to stand trial or if the defense claim of insanity can be upheld or not.
Opposites attract!
Myth!
Subconsciously, we look for mates more similar to us than dissimilar.
People with mental health problems are violent and unpredictable.
Myth!
The vast majority of people with mental health problems are no more likely to be violent than anyone else. Most people with mental illness are not violent and only 3%–5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness.
In fact, people with severe mental illnesses are over 10 times more likely to be victims of violent crime than the general population. You probably know someone with a mental health problem and don't even realize it, because many people with mental health problems are highly active and productive members of our communities.
Power posing increases your confidence hormones.
Myth!
In one of the most popular TED talks of all time, Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy shared her research that power posing–standing or sitting with your body as expanded as possible (think Superwoman pose) lowers your stress hormones, increases your testosterone (the power hormone) levels and makes you look and feel more confident.
The Science: In 2015, a group of researchers replicated Amy Cuddy’s study using five times as many participants and could not find any indication that her results are valid. It’s suspected that Cuddy and her fellow researchers either made an error in the study and/or they manipulated their data to yield a statistically significant result.
After hearing about Cuddy’s study, many people reported that power poses helped them feel more confident. Their feelings are likely the result of the placebo effect from listening to a well-educated person tell them power posing works. However, no supporting research indicates power posing has the biological effect Cuddy claims it has.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is only a military man’s disease.
Myth!
PTSD is notjust a military man’s disease. Anyone can have PTSD. A rape or sexual assault victim, a domestic abuse victim, a survivor of a natural disaster, someone who’s suffered a loss or even a person who did not face any violence or physical threats themselves directly, but happened to witness someone else who did (i.e. vicarious trauma).
Lie detector tests estimate error rates as high as 40%, thus labeling innocent victims guilty of crime.
Fact!
People want to believe there is a quick fix for lie detection but no such test yet exists, nor is it likely to happen in the forseeable future. Even the name is misleading; it should really be called an “arousal-detector test”.
The problem with such a test that measures several physiological indicators of arousal is that there can be many different causes of arousal, with guilt about lying being only one of them.
Unfortunately, these tests remain popular among the military and the government, as well as in movies and TV shows. Many Americans still believe they are ‘reliable’ and ‘useful’ for detecting deception.
The quality of ideas generated in brainstorming sessions is poorer than that of ideas generated by individuals.
Fact!
I don’t have to worry about mental health, that won’t affect me.
Myth!
Mental health problems are actually very common. In 2020, about:
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. In fact, it was the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10-24. It accounted for the loss of more than 45,979 American lives in 2020, nearly double the number of lives lost to homicide.
Creative breakthroughs occur in sudden bursts of insight.
Myth!
Brain imaging studies reveal that well before people suddenly report a creative answer to a problem, brain areas involved in problem-solving, such as the frontal lobes, have already been active.
Bad parenting causes mental conditions in adolescents.
Myth!
Many factors – including poverty, unemployment, and exposure to violence, migration, and other adverse circumstances and events – may influence the well-being and mental health of adolescents, their caregivers and the relationship between them.
Adolescents from loving, supporting homes can experience mental health difficulties, as can adolescent from homes where there may be caregivers who need support to maintain an optimum environment for healthy adolescent development. With support, caregivers can play an essential role in helping adolescents to overcome any problems they experience.
Forensic psychologists are clinical psychologists.
Fact!
Forensic psychologists are clinical psychologists called on to evaluate the psychological state of an individual though they have a legal understanding that allows them to evaluate and analyze within a legal framework.
Rote memorization is the best way to retain information.
Myth!
Information processed by its meaning is better retained than information that is merely repeated over and over again.
Studies show that people with mental health problems get better and many recover completely.
Fact!
Studies show that people with mental health problems get better and many recover completely. Recovery refers to the process in which people are able to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their communities. There are more treatments, services, and community support systems than ever before, and they work.
Students benefit from teachers catering to different learning styles.
Myth!
There is no empirical evidence that supports the concept that people have a preferred or optimal learning style.
The problem is that unsupported beliefs about learning styles often leads people to narrow their learning strategies and approaches to fit the misconception.
However, this is a potentially damaging since evidence from scientific experiments have shown that learning is accomplished best when we ‘go wide’ and try to engage as many of our senses and abilities as possible.
Schizophrenia “is characterized by distortions in thinking, perception, emotions, language, sense of self, and behavior.”
Fact!
Schizophrenia means “splitting of the mind,” which might explain the misconception. However, when Eugen Bleuler coined the term in 1908, he was trying to “capture the fragmentation and disintegration of the mind and behavior as the essence of the disorder.”
According to the WHO, schizophrenia “is characterized by distortions in thinking, perception, emotions, language, sense of self, and behavior.” These distortions can include hallucinations and delusions.
Schizophrenia is not the same as dissociative identity disorder, which used to be called multiple personality disorder.
Forensic psychologists work on the plaintiff’s side.
Myth!
The truth is that the forensic psychologists does not take sides and is brought on to provide unbiased expert testimony and analysis regardless of which side of the case the testimony benefits. This myth is brought on by the image on TV about the psychologist bringing evidence that ends up putting away the bad guy.
People use only 10% of their brain.
Myth!
Today scientists measure oxygen and glucose consumption of brain tissue using imaging technology such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Scientists observe that all areas of healthy brains are active all the time, even while people sleep or are in a coma. However, depending on the task a person engages in, some areas of the brain become more active than others. Further evidence from neuropsychological studies show that there is no area of the brain that can be damaged in adults without some measurable loss of function.
You only need to take care of your mental health if you have a mental health condition.
Myth!
Everyone can benefit from taking active steps to promote their well-being and improve their mental health. Similarly, everyone can take active steps and engage in healthy habits to optimize their physical health.
Our personality stabilizes when you’re an adult.
Myth!
The Science: A study took personality data from a whopping 132,515 people and found the following traits change over time:
-People become more agreeable (willing to cooperate with others) as they age.
-Women become less neurotic (emotionally sensitive) as they age.
-Men and women become less open (eager and willing to try new experiences) as they age.
-Conscientiousness (work ethic and detail-orientation) increases with age.
These changes alter our desires and behaviors as we age and debunk the idea that in adulthood our personalities fully mature.
Eating disorders only affect females.
Myth!
There is a stereotype that eating disorders are the domain of young, white, wealthy females. However, they can affect anyone.
One study that investigated the demographics of eating disorders over a 10-year period found that they are shifting. The most significant increases in prevalence occurred among males, individuals from lower income homes, and people aged 45 years or older.
According to other research, males currently account for 10–25% of all cases of anorexia and bulimia nervosa, as well as 25% of cases of binge eating disorders.
Forensic psychologists interrogate suspects.
Myth!
The job of a forensic psychologist often requires psychoanalyzing not only suspects in a criminal case but also witnesses, plaintiffs, and defendants in civil and domestic cases. Often times, the psychologist isn’t interrogating a suspect, but instead is attempting to understand the mental state of the individual, which does require a series of questioning that may often appear to be investigative.