Discovery Health Store Discovery Health Newsletters

Mental Illness Myths

How much of what you know about mental health is fact and how much is fiction? You may be surprised how much of what you think is fact about mental health is outdated, old wives' tales or just plain wrong.

Unravel the yarns of mental illness, everything from the numbers to the causes and treatments, with our mental illness myths quiz.

True or false: Depression is a bad mood, a state of mind, not a medical illness.

True

False

You chose: You chose:

Everyone feels blue from time to time but when feelings of sadness, hopelessness and even thoughts of death cloud your daily life it's not the blues -- it's clinical depression. An estimated 14.8 million Americans ages 18 and older suffer from major depression, a mood disorder that when left untreated can be chronic, recurrent and disabling.

Mental illness is not as rare as you may think. The number of American adults who will have a psychiatric disorder during their lifetime is:

1 out of 2

1 out of 3

1 out of 4

1 out of 5

You chose: You chose:

According to the National Institute of Mental Health approximately 26.2 percent of American adults will have a psychiatric disorder that is severe enough to be diagnosed. In addition, 45 percent of people diagnosed with mental illness have symptoms of two or more psychiatric disorders.

Mental illnesses, just like physical illnesses such as diabetes, can be mild, moderate or severe. What percentage of Americans suffer from mental illness so severe it is chronic and debilitating?

2 percent

6 percent

10 percent

12 percent

You chose: You chose:

While an estimated 1 in 4 American adults suffers from a form of mental illness during their lives, about 1 in 17, or 6 percent, of Americans develop severe mental illness. A study done by the World Health Organization, the World Bank and Harvard University found that the impact of mental illness on countries such as the United States is worse than the burden of cancer.

Name the age group most likely to die by suicide:

Children ages 10 to 14

Teens ages 15 to 19

Adults ages 20 to 24

Adults ages 65 and older

You chose: You chose:

While suicide was ranked the third leading cause of death of adolescents and adults ages 15 to 24 in 2006, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, 14.2 percent of adults 65 or older died by suicide that year. Compared to the percents for other age groups -- 1.3 per 100,000 children, 8.2 per 100,000 teens, 12.5 adults ages 20 to 24 and the national average of 10.9 per 100,000 -- this places adults ages 5 and older as the group most likely to die from suicide.

Which of the following is not currently considered a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association:

Acute Stress Disorder

Binge Eating Disorder

Intermittent Explosive Disorder

Sleepwalking Disorder

You chose: You chose:

While about 11 million Americans suffer from an eating disorder (such as anorexia or bulimia) many more suffer from binge eating disorder. An estimated 25 million Americans are affected this eating disorder, an illness that is characterized by the consumption of a profuse amount of food along with feelings of guilt and loss of control.

True or false: Bad parenting causes mental illness.

True

False

You chose: You chose:

Many factors play into how and when a person may develop a mental illness, such as genetic predisposition, brain chemistry, chronic stress (such as physical abuse), infection and environmental contributors (including major life changes such as divorce). Bad parenting is not one of them.

People with mental illness often also have:

Mental retardation

Violent behaviors

No chance for recovery

A relative with mental illness

You chose: You chose:

Mental illness may run in families. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a good example of this -- if you suffer from OCD the chance someone in your immediate family also suffers is about 25 percent.

True or false: Only women suffer from eating disorders.

True

False

You chose: You chose:

While women are more likely than men to develop an eating disorder, men also suffer from the debilitating disease. It's estimated that about 10 million American women are living with an eating disorder compared to roughly 1 million men. Men are also more likely to develop a binge-eating disorder than a restrictive type such as anorexia.

Drug therapy, behavior therapy and psychotherapy are often used to treat mental illness. Which of the below treatments is not used as complementary therapy:

Exercise

Daily structure

Radiation therapy

A healthy diet

You chose: You chose:

While radiation therapy may be successful in treating many forms of cancers, it's not considered a treatment for mental illness. Lifestyle changes such as exercise, good nutrition and techniques to improve the structure of daily life may be helpful in reducing symptoms of psychiatric disorders. The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research conducted at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University funded a study that looked at how exercise, for example, affected the health of people diagnosed with severe mental illness, and found that not only did participants improve their physical health but also improved their mood, self-esteem and alleviated symptoms of depression.

True or false: Children don't get depressed, it's just part of growing up.

True

False

You chose: You chose:

Children are at risk for developing mental illnesses that we commonly associate with adults. Between five and nine percent of kids develop severe psychiatric disorders, according to a report released by the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.

Don't Worry...

...study up and try again?

Good Job.

Hit the books and try to ace it.

Great work!

You really know your stuff!

FOR MORE ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

VISIT OUR MENTAL HEALTH GUIDE

our sites

video

Discovery Health Video

shop

stay connected

corporate