Let’s Talk Mental Health: Mythbusters

Numerous factors contribute to mental health, including biological factors, life experiences, trauma, and genetics. A multi-pronged approach of counseling and medication management is the best approach to addressing all contributing factors.

While some individuals with a mental health diagnosis may exhibit higher rates of violent behavior, individuals with severe mental illness are 10 times more likely to be victims of violent crime than the general population.

Depending upon the diagnosis, a combination of medication management and psychotherapy may yield recovery rates of around 75%. Mental wellness is a life-long pursuit and should never be thought of as accomplished or done.

“It’s just a phase. They’ll grow out of it.” Unfortunately, these assumptions regarding mental health in children contribute to the fact that only 20% of children and adolescents with a diagnosable mental health problem receive the treatment they need when in fact, half of all mental health disorders first show signs before a person turns 14 years old.

Research has shown that addiction is a chronic disease affecting the areas of the brain involved in reward and motivation, learning and memory, and inhibitory control over behavior. Contributory factors include genetic pre-disposition, age of exposure to drugs, and history of abuse or trauma. Successful treatment includes pharmacological and therapeutic interventions.

Some mental illnesses do have a heritable component. However, this is much smaller than the environmental contributors to mental illness, including trauma, abuse, smoking, sleep deprivation, or substance use. Maximize your mental wellness through preventative wellness behaviors.

GatorCare members have access to addiction, counseling, and psychiatry services through their behavioral health benefit. View our network directory to find a provider that works for you.

Sign up to receive informational posts and content about mental health that you can share to your social media platforms during the month of May.

If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis, please seek support. There are crisis phone lines and online chats available to view. Alternatively, contact 911 or visit your nearest emergency room.