Myths and Misconceptions about schizophrenia:
It makes someone dangerous.
I have met a lot of schizophrenics and for the most part, this is very untrue. A schizophrenic is not likely to be violent or hurt others. Hurting themselves is sorta more likely than lashing out. I’ve seen a lot more of self injurious schizophrenics than violent ones.
It is the same thing as having a “split personality”
No??? That’s Dissociative Identity Disorder. Not schizophrenia.
Schizophrenics need to be locked away.
This is an exaggeration and many schizophrenics can lead ordinary lives and function well. There are therapies, treatments and other methods that help in managing the disorder well enough that they do not need to be “locked away” like animals. They are people, for god’s sake, they don’t need imprisonment, they need help.
Myths and Misconceptions about bipolar disorder:
Your mood changes every five seconds
The minimum amount of times to get diagnosed for a mood episode are: 7+ days for a manic episode, 4+ days for a hypomanic episode, and 14+ days for a depressive episode. (Personally, my mania lasts somewhere between 3 weeks up to several months and my depressive episodes can last months or a year.)
Mania is a lot better than depression
Well... sometimes, but some people can find it frightening and horrible. It’s having your mind race, your entire body restless and sometimes it quickly turns from happiness to rage. Sometimes, psychotic symptoms also appear, which makes the situation even worse. Manic episodes are classified as medical emergencies.
It is an adult disorder. Kids cannot have it.
This is also false, and there are some children who have the disorder- although the diagnosis can be tricky due to professionals having to decide and observe if the behavior is a normal part of childhood or if it’s the sign of something more. Nevertheless, it is not a disorder only for adults and there are many children and teens with the disorder.
