Schizophrenia is a mental illnesses that’s often misunderstood; this is mainly due to the misinformation about this condition.

As a leading provider of mental health counseling in Mechanicsville, we debunk three common myths about schizophrenia:

1. Schizophrenia is hereditary

Many people believe that schizophrenia is purely genetic — if a person with schizophrenia has a child, their child will also have the condition.

Thankfully, this isn’t true. While genetics play some role, there are multiple cases of people with schizophrenia who don’t have any family members with the condition.

The exact cause of schizophrenia is still not known. There are multiple risk factors that health professionals believe may play a role in the development of schizophrenia, including:

§ Changes in the brain’s structure and chemistry

§ Environmental factors like exposure to certain viruses or malnutrition before birth

§ Genetics

In addition, some think that huge changes in the body, like puberty, may trigger symptoms in people susceptible to the condition due to other factors.

2. People with schizophrenia cannot work

Sometimes, media outlets portray people with schizophrenia as people who can’t do ordinary activities like holding down a job. According to NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health), 0.25-0.64% of people in the US have schizophrenia or a related condition. This means that schizophrenia isn’t very common.

Thus, this myth may exist because most people never interact with or know someone with schizophrenia.

However, this doesn’t mean that they’re not a part of our society. Often, people with schizophrenia who respond well to treatment can enjoy a job and independence.

3. Schizophrenia causes multiple personalities

Another myth about schizophrenia is that it causes a person to have a split personality or multiple personalities.

People may think that a person with schizophrenia acts as though they have at least a couple of separate identities.

Schizophrenia disrupts a person’s thought processes. In certain cases, the conditions can also cause hallucinations.

However, the condition doesn’t cause a personality split. This is a different condition referred to as dissociative personality disorder.

Get in touch with Oasis of Hope for mental health counseling in Mechanicsville

At Oasis of Hope, their mission is grounded in a patient-centered care model that empowers families and patients to actively participate in their decision-making and care instead of being passive participants.

Contact their mental therapist now for mental health treatment in Bensville.