According to bestseller book Occupational Therapy and Mental Health, author J Creek suggests that approximately 27% of all Europeans suffer from some type of mental illness, almost 45% to 75% with moderate to severe physical illness and approximately 35% to 45% from some type of psychiatric disorders like anxiety or depression that require modifications in the lifestyle and occupational activities. Occupational therapy is apparently a self explanatory term but a lot of people have a clear misconception about the benefits, likely candidates and uses of occupational therapy.

One misconception is that occupational therapists perform similar techniques and strategies for all medical, surgical and metabolic conditions. This is absolutely wrong. The fact is, all occupational therapists work according to a customized and individualized plan after devising the goals and requirements of occupational therapy in different individuals. The nature, duration and essentials of therapy are different in different individuals and require interventions accordingly.

For example, your occupational therapist may suggest a more mobile job and dynamic work ergonomics to a diabetic patient; however for someone who is suffering from osteoarthritis or recovering from a major limb surgery, a more sedentary or less active job environment will be advised. In addition, the therapist works with the patient and care-givers to make the surrounding as comfortable as possible. Carolyn M. Baum suggests that the essentials of occupational therapy has evolved in the last 8 decades and therapists now work with family, friends, relatives and acquaintances to improve client's environment. Carolyn K. Rozier suggests that currently there are over 75 accredited occupational therapy programs that are offered by different institutes and organizations all over the world to target different subsets of the population.

Another myth is that physical therapy and occupational therapy are very similar. Physical therapy and occupational therapy are entirely different and distinct forms of therapy that are designed to cater to different individuals and different requirements. For example, the aim of physical therapy is to restore the physical and functional independence of an individual. Physical therapy includes exercises, stretches and maneuvers that improve the strength, stability and range of motion of joints after an injury. On the contrary, occupational therapy mainly deals with the improvement of your overall lifestyle by the modification of your surroundings. Your occupational therapist works with you in order to make your surroundings much more interactive, convenient and comfortable, so that your disability may not interfere with your productivity and performance.

One popular misconception is that occupational therapy is needed by only disabled or physically challenged individuals, which is not true. We all need occupational therapy in order to make our surroundings more eco-friendly and comfortable to our bodies. Occupational therapy for every individual is designed according to the bodily needs and requirements; for example, the ideal height, shape and body of the office chair, distance from the table and position of lamps varies according to the nature of job, physical parameters of the individual and physical or medical needs. Research by Pope suggests that approximately 35 million Americans and 4 million Canadians suffer from moderate mental or physical impairment; however only 25% of the disorders affect social or professional life. If proper interventions are taken, the risk of mental and physical disabilities can be maximally decreased.

Another myth is that occupational therapy is not compulsory in the case of any mental, physical or psychological disorder. Unfortunately, a lot of disabled individuals believe occupational therapy is not a part of rehabilitation or is not necessary for all individuals. A research report published by Anette Kjellberg suggests that only 20% of individuals who seek the assistance of occupational therapists believe that they need therapy. Anette suggests that almost 90% of occupational therapists believe that the client active participation can significantly improve the outcome. This data reflects the feedback of 670 Swedish occupational therapists who were interviewed for this research. The biggest limiting factor that restricts patient’s participation in seeking occupational therapy is financial issues and organizational problems.

People are under the misconception that occupational therapy is only needed to boost occupational skill-sets and to improve the yield; whereas in reality occupational therapy is needed for optimal health and well-being in future. According to the research report published by Carolyn M. Baum optimal occupational therapy that is started at the right time decreases the cost of healthcare by reducing the incidence of organic dysfunction and disabilities.

In order to achieve optimal health and well-being, it is recommended to seek the assistance of an occupational therapist for evaluation of your posture, lifestyle and work environment.