Misconceptions plague the field of mental health more so, it seems, than any other, according to Dr. Jayne Niskey, a counselor and psychotherapist serving the Poplar Bluff area.
To help pinpoint what is truth versus fiction, Niskey compiled a list of what she considers the most common mental health myths she encounters on a regular basis. She said mental health is necessary for the body to function happily and healthily.
"Probably the most common myth is that people who seek counseling are confused in their head, messed up, or mentally unbalanced," Niskey said. "But research says otherwise."
Niskey said studies show that people who voluntarily seek mental health counseling are the healthiest people within their systems, whether their system is work or family.
"They're healthy enough to know things are affecting them and they're not as happy, they're more depressed or anxious, or their mind isn't right, more than anyone else in their system," she said.
Niskey said people who seek counseling tend to be more self aware because they're in tune with their body's inner-workings.
"In medical science, you can look and you can see when you have a skin wound," Niskey said. "You can see if it's getting infected. Then you've got to get it cleaned and get some antibiotic shots from a doctor. But in mental health, you can't see what's not right for you. So, already you have to be at an elevated level to use discernment to figure out that you need some help here."
She said in today's technology-centric world, one of the biggest stressors is social media. She said social media has created unique issues never before seen.
"What's happened with social media in the mental health field is, it has fostered impatience," Niskey said. "If people don't answer instantly, they get upset. It leads to a form of hysteria that we have not been trained, in our field, to cover. Not in our daily life."
Niskey said because of the accessibility cell phones, tablets and computers provide, people are never truly relaxed.
"You can't really ever zone out because there might be a 'bing' and you have to answer it," she explained. "Or if you don't, you have to do it later and it stays on your mind."
Niskey also said social media has created a platform for negativity, which adds to defeating self-thought.
"If somebody says something mean on it, it stays with you, where actually they wouldn't have said it mean if they were with you and had to say it face to face," she said. "It's so easy to be rude because you're not face to face with people. So we have to watch and maintain our peace. That's something that people aren't learning how to do."
Niskey offered suggestions for easy ways to help control inner peace by noting other common myths people tend to believe.
"One of the myths is that you've got to get up and hurry in the morning and get wherever you get," she said. "That's simply not true. In the morning you should sit down, organize your day and your mind, write it out and then calm yourself."
Niskey said despite a person's religion, finding a way to calm the mind is a necessity. She said people who believe in a higher power can pray, while others may choose to meditate. She said either way, starting each day with a sense of peace is integral to maintaining control.
Another myth Niskey said adds to daily stress is the belief that by showing up on time, "we're fine."
"Albert Ellis, who is one of the founders of a form of therapy, said 'If you just show up on time for an event, you're already late.' He said you need to show up about 20 minutes early."
According to Ellis, the human mind takes 20 minutes to adjust from one location to another.
"In my therapy sessions, which are 45-50 minutes, if a patient just shows up on time, they are still wired for about 20 minutes and they've lost half the session. Now, I go on and I work but perhaps they don't get what they needed because they weren't ready."
Niskey said she encourages her patients to arrive early to her therapy sessions and decompress in their cars. Her office is privately located on a quiet drive in northern Butler County, surrounded by trees and horses. She said she encourages her patients to look at the animals and allow time for their minds to update.
Niskey said people commonly tell her they prefer handling things on their own, or privately. She said despite preconceived ideas, mental health counseling does allow patients to do things on their own, and that she is simply there to guide them. Niskey said she teaches skills they can use to combat self-defeating thinking.
In addition to her private counseling practice in individual, children, marriage and family, Niskey is board certified by the American College of Certified Forensic Counselors as a specialist in both criminal justice and addiction counseling. To arrange a meeting with Niskey, call her office at 573-718-5626.