Many myths about mental health perpetuate a stigma and create barriers for those who would benefit from seeking care. Misconceptions, fear of judgment, and blame can make it difficult for anyone experiencing issues related to mental health to get the support they need from family, friends, and professionals. Understanding the facts can help you take important steps toward dispelling these myths and reducing the stigma.  Many system-impacted citizens, currently and formerly incarcerated, do not seek the help they need because of the myths surrounding mental health.  If we truly want to aid in their recovery from a prison sentence, helping them successfully reintegrate, we must dispel the myths about mental health. They’re coming home, and they need our help.

While mental illness might alter your thinking, destabilize your moods, or skew your perception of reality, that doesn’t mean you are “crazy.” Instead, it means you are human and are susceptible to sickness and illness, the same as any other person.

Despite the prevalence of mental illness, there are still so many misconceptions about living with one. Below are eight myths about mental illness to highlight how important it is to discuss these issues with system-impacted citizens, families, and those in our communities. I also want to highlight these myths about mental illness to ensure that our loved ones and ourselves get help if needed.

Prisons are psychologically powerful places that transform the thoughts and behaviors of those who enter and exit those gates. However, that doesn’t mean that a person is crazy.

What do you think when you hear the words “mental health”? I’ve asked many system-impacted citizens this question, and the most common answers I’ve gotten are “crazy,” “nuts,” and “insane.”

Newsflash… are you ready? That is not true.

Mental illness is any disorder that can affect your mood, thinking, behavior, or some combination of the three. On top of that, mental illness is extremely common; it’s estimated that one in four people experience it each year.

Despite the prevalence of mental illness, there are still so many misconceptions about living with one.

Psychologist Craig Haney, Ph.D., studies the use and impact of solitary confinement on inmates in super-maximum security, or “supermax,” prisons.

“There’s very little doubt in psychology that enforced isolation is psychologically harmful and for some people will be very damaging,” says Haney, a University of California, Santa Cruz professor.

Despite the shared perspective, many psychologists have about the dangers of isolation and social exclusion, and less research has been done into the psychological impact of enforced solitary confinement. Haney’s goal is to get the data to evaluate whether such confinement is harmful, how much damage it can inflict, and who is most susceptible.

Haney has inspected many supermax prisons across the U.S., conducting systematic psychological assessments of nearly 1,000 inmates in solitary confinement. In addition to conducting observations and face-to-face interviews with inmates, mental health staff, and correctional staff, he has performed an extensive literature review of personal accounts and prison documents relating to the operation of confinement units.

Through his research, Haney has found little evidence to support claims that prisoners or prison systems benefit from solitary confinement. Even those prisoners deemed to be the worst offenders don’t require such extreme isolation and deprivation. Many, he argues, are placed in supermax conditions not for what they have done but based on a prison official’s judgment that they are dangerous, disruptive, or a threat. Often, he says, they can and should be handled differently.

Solitary Confinement and Social Deprivation

“There are few, if any, forms of imprisonment that appear to produce so much psychological trauma as isolation,” Haney says. “For many prisoners, the absence of regular, normal interpersonal contact creates a pervasive feeling of unreality.”

Haney’s research found a higher rate of mental illness among inmates in supermax prisons than in the general prisoner population. Some inmates entered the prison system with existing mental health problems, while others showed signs of mental illness that emerged after confinement. He assessed 400 randomly selected inmates to determine if they were experiencing psychological distress or demonstrating isolation-related psychopathological symptoms. More than half of the assessed inmates experienced 11 of the 12 recognized signs of psychological distress. Approximately two out of three interviewed reported having anxiety attacks and feeling on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Some inmates also reported more extreme symptoms, such as depression and suicidal thoughts.¹

His research showed that even in the correctional system, people need human interaction to be healthy psychologically.

“It borders on being common sense, but it is common sense with empirical research to support it,” Haney says. “So much of what we do and who we are is rooted in a social context. When people experience extreme isolation and social exclusion, they suffer.”

Click HERE to download and read the Testimony of Professor Craig Haney, Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights Hearing on Solitary Confinement, June 19, 2012.

Reference: Haney, C. “Mental health issues in long-term solitary and ‘supermax’ confinement.” Crime and Delinquency, 49 (1), 124 – 156. Retrieved from http://www.supermaxed.com/NewSupermaxMaterials/Haney-MentalHealthIssues.pdf