Yet when it comes to mental illness, society has not caught up to science. There's still a lot of misunderstanding. About half the folks out there think that mental illnesses are problems that have to do with character and self-discipline. In one poll, for the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association, nearly two out of three respondents didn't know that mental illnesses have physiological causes. One respondent in four thought people brought depression on themselves.
Many people think depression is no more than the blues, instead of a serious clinical disorder.
Despite the mountains of research, these and other misconceptions about mental illness are slow to die, mental health professionals say. And, they say, those misconceptions contribute to neglect of a major public health problem. The human costs are not recorded only in dollars, but also in deaths. Between 15 and 20 percent of people with major depression commit suicide, and victims of other mental disorders are at a high risk for suicide as well. Suicide often carries stigma similar to that of mental illness itself.