10 Myths About Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Psychologists

Myth 1 – Psychologists can read minds

Initially, when I went to study psychology, I frequently had that idea about my professors, wondering if they would know when I was looking but not paying attention to what they were saying. On the other hand, outside of class, when I was among friends who knew I studied psychology, I'd get the question "what am I thinking?" But it doesn't work like that.

Psychologists study the functioning of mental processes and human behavior. We know how the mind works, and we know how to influence behavior, but we can't read minds.

Myth 2 – Only people with mental health problems go to a psychologist

Although many people who see a psychologist are dealing with things like intense and prolonged depression and anxiety, many people also see a psychologist when they:

Are at a crossroads or a turning point in their lives; Notice they're not feeling like their usual selves and would like to talk about the reasons; Need support navigating a major life change: retirement, getting married, becoming a parent, starting university, going through the end of a relationship...; Want to know themselves better; Want a place where they can talk openly about matters that are too personal or disturbing; Want to feel more fulfilled in life; Notice the same patterns repeating themselves over and over in their lives and want to understand that better; Have a specific issue or decision that needs to be worked through.

Myth 3 – Talking about your emotions and thoughts will only make things worse

In reality, the opposite is true. Talking about things that are excruciating is indeed difficult and in the moment it feels like we get worse, but by being present with those things we learn to deal with them in other ways. Whether by seeing things from a different perspective, clearing up confusion, discovering solutions, understanding how they work, gaining some distance, feeling less alone, etc.

Myth 4 – Psychologists, being mental health experts, don't have problems or difficulties in their lives

This one wouldn't be bad if it were true. However, even though we understand how minds work, we are clearly human and therefore experience the difficulties and problems that are inherent to humanity, plus those problems and difficulties that are individual to each person.

It's always a work in progress, and at every moment we apply what we've learned to make it easier to navigate difficult times and move in the direction of what, individually, matters most to us.

Myth 5 – Psychologists always diagnose mental disorders

Although psychologists who have studied clinical and health areas are capable of assessing the presence of a mental disorder, it's not always helpful or relevant to make such an assessment. Furthermore, a large proportion of people who see a psychologist don't meet criteria for a mental health disorder.

Many psychologists, like myself, focus on exploring directly with the client the experiences that are relevant to them and from there work together to understand and shift the psychological processes that are responsible for the problems or difficulties.

Myth 6 – Mental disorders are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain

Most mental disorders (such as depression, anxiety, panic) are caused by a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors. At the social level we have the things that happen to us in life, at the psychological level we have our mental faculties like our memories and the way we interpret things, and at the biological level we have genetic predispositions and the impact those things have on our body.

The idea of "correcting the chemical imbalance" came from the fact that antidepressants alter the levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, but that doesn't mean the cause was wrong neurotransmitter levels, just as the cause of a headache isn't a lack of paracetamol in the brain.

This myth is frequently spread through advertising, yet research shows it may be propagating the stigma around mental illness, encouraging the idea that mental health problems are permanent and are solely the responsibility of the individual rather than our society.

Myth 7 – Psychologists are very serious and psychotherapy is also very serious

While I can't speak for my colleagues, the vast majority of psychologists I know are not as serious as those who typically appear in movies or TV shows (e.g., A Dangerous Method, In Treatment, Psi). Sometimes, as the saying goes, laughter is the best medicine.

Myth 8 – Talking to a psychologist is the same as talking to a friend or family member

While there are people without psychology training who are good confidants and always have a wise piece of advice to give, talking to a psychologist is a different experience. A psychologist listens without judging and advises without telling the person what they should or shouldn't do. A psychologist also makes the session a time solely for the client and guides an exploration of their problems and difficulties with no other intention than promoting the person's well-being. On top of that, there are a series of methods from scientific research that psychologists use.

Myth 9 – When we're angry, letting it all out can only do good

I know I just said that talking about disturbing thoughts and emotions is good, and generally it is. However, the emotion of anger and its cousins frustration and irritation have some peculiarities.

Everyone knows that yelling, destroying things, or otherwise "letting it all out" feels good when we're angry, frustrated, or irritated. In fact, that's why we do it.

However, venting ("letting it all out") has the opposite effect to what it seems. Venting ends up reinforcing the expression of anger, and this makes it increasingly frequent and easier for us to get angry. In contrast, the calm expression of anger (and other emotions) helps us deal more effectively with what we're feeling and with whatever triggered it.

Myth 10 – People don't change

When we see a person acting in a certain way, we easily find an adjective that describes that way of acting (e.g., shy, aggressive, lonely, brave). Then if we see that same person acting in a way that fits that adjective again, we conclude that's just how the person is. And, for example, we think that a person who speaks little, doesn't like drawing attention to themselves, and blushes when spoken to does those things because they're shy. However, saying that someone does X or Y because they're shy or aggressive or anything else isn't right, because these words are mere descriptions of our actions and not the cause of the action itself.

Briefly, people do the things they've discovered work for them in a given context, and they've repeated those actions over time to the point where they've become intuition or almost automatic. However, at any moment we can learn to act in other ways and test whether those new actions work better or worse to achieve the goals we desire and be the person we'd like to be.