Linda: ‘Mental health problems are your fault’. That's a myth! If you have mental health problems, they aren't your fault. Mental health problems are caused by a wide range of things, and the people who have mental health problems don't create them by making poor decisions or by somehow contributing. Believing that myth can actually get in the way of people receiving good support.



‘People with mental health problems can't function in society.’ That's a myth. People with mental health problems have all sorts of skills, abilities. There's so many people in really every field in society, sport, arts, business that are really high achievers who have mental health problems. 



‘People with mental health problems are dangerous’. This is a myth and it's a really worrying myth because it's based on, you know, false ideas about people with mental health problems, really damaging stereotypes, misinformation in the media, and it just isn't true. 



‘It's okay to get support from non-professionals for your mental health’. This one's a fact. So, it's actually really good to get support from non-professionals for your mental health. There's a wide range of different types of concerns people can have with their mental health. And not everyone actually needs professional support. You can talk to people in your community. You can talk to teachers. Talking to other people who've been through similar problems can also be a really great way to get support. If you are going through more difficulties and it would be helpful for you to see a professional, talking to one of those people first can actually be a good way for you to get support from a professional because they can help link you in with somebody. Also, for a lot of people, they might find that rather than starting with clinical support, they might want to start with getting some support from somebody who has lived experience. In fact, ReachOut have a team of trained peer workers who have lived experience and you can book a session with them through the link in the bio.