a post by Teodora Zareva for the Big Think blog
About 51 million people around the world suffer from schizophrenia, yet half of the general public doesn’t understand what schizophrenia really is. A UK non-profit Rethink Mental Illness conducted a survey amongst 1,500 and found that misconceptions about the illness abound – a reality that can make life even worse for those who suffer from the condition and have to live amongst family, friends and colleagues who harbor prejudices or are unaware of the inequalities people who have the illness face.
50% of the surveyed people, for example, mistakenly think that schizophrenia means you have a ‘split’ personality. 26% wrongly believe that schizophrenia makes you violent and 23% incorrectly think that someone with schizophrenia needs to be monitored by professionals at all times. In fact, most who live with the condition have various coping mechanisms, but unfortunately may not be able to openly seek help from their loved ones or even from professionals.
Penn State student Cecilia McGough gave an emotional TEDx talk this year titled “I Am Not A Monster” sharing her own experience with the illness. She talks about how she had to battle with the prejudices of her own mother, who didn’t want her to look for professional help out of fear of stigmatizing her entire family.
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