Christian speaker and former “700 Club” co-host Sheila Walsh talks openly about her struggle with major depression, frequently sharing her testimony at conferences. At the end of one of her speaking engagements a woman approached Walsh and showed her a picture of her 25-year-old daughter. The woman shared that her daughter had struggled for years with depression but attended a church that did not believe Christians should take medication.
“My daughter took her own life,” the woman told Walsh, who has called the conversation one of the saddest she has ever had.
Unfortunately the woman’s story is not unusual. Mental illness often is linked to suicide, homelessness and substance abuse. It can lead to violence, family separations and imprisonment. Mental illness strikes more Americans each year than diabetes or cancer yet many of those who suffer from it often suffer alone.
‘Societal stigma’
Zelia Baugh, executive director of psychiatric services for Baptist Health System in Birmingham, said, “There is still a societal stigma when you have a mental illness diagnosis. People don’t want to have mental illness or the stigma associated with it so they want to deny it or treat it on their own.”
The stigma of mental illness can be especially strong in churches, Baugh said.
“If you’ve got diabetes, cancer or heart disease everybody’s all about making sure that people are praying for you so you have an instant support system,” Baugh said. “It’s very different when you are talking about mental health issues.”
A recent LifeWay Research survey found that those who experience mental illness are unlikely to find much help at church (see story, page 7). Two-thirds of Protestant senior pastors reported they seldom speak to their congregation about mental illness. Roughly a quarter of pastors (22 percent) reported they are reluctant to help those who suffer from acute mental illness because it takes too much time, though pastors and churches did express a desire to help those who experience mental illness.
Those good intentions do not always lead to action.
Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research, said, “Our research found people who suffer from mental illness often turn to pastors for help. But pastors need more guidance and preparation for dealing with mental health crises. They often don’t have a plan to help individuals or families affected by mental illness and miss opportunities to be the Church.”
Missing an ‘open forum’
Stetzer said what appears to be missing in most church responses is “an open forum for discussion and intervention that could help remove the stigma associated with mental illness.”
Educating pastors and lay leaders about mental illness can make a big difference when someone in the church is suffering, said Steve Trader, a licensed professional counselor with Pathways Professional Counseling, a ministry of the Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries. Mental illness affects not only the individual but also the family so a poorly handled response by the Church has the potential to negatively impact multiple generations. It is important that churches are ready to provide love and support, not shame and condemnation, Trader said.
“So many times a person suffering from mental illness will be told they must have secret sin in their lives or that they suffer from a lack of faith but many times this is not the issue at all,” he said. “Other people may say you just have to choose to be happy but this may be impossible for someone with mental illness.”
To avoid the judgment of others an individual suffering from mental illness may keep silent, which has its own drawbacks. Silence can leave people feeling ashamed about mental illness, said Jared Pingleton, director of counseling services at Focus on the Family. Those with mental illness can feel left out and as if the Church doesn’t care. Or worse they can feel mental illness is a sign of spiritual failure.
Taking medication for mental health issues can be controversial in faith communities as well, Trader said. A pastor or trusted Christian friend may advise against taking doctor-prescribed medications for mental illness, suggesting more prayer or participation in church is the solution.
“Ironically these are the same people that take medication for their high cholesterol, high blood pressure or other physical illness,” Trader said.
These mixed messages can make an individual feel pulled between their faith and their doctor’s advice, leading to a much longer and much harder recovery, Baugh said.
“We have patients who say they aren’t taking their medicine because their pastor told them to pray instead, but each time a patient stops taking medication it becomes harder to come back to what is considered normal for them,” Baugh said.
Sound medical advice
The challenge is providing sound medical advice to the patient without discounting the patient’s faith or criticizing a trusted pastor or friend, Baugh said.
“We often tell patients that God created man and God created man with the ability to develop these medications in order for patients to heal. But it’s a very delicate balance,” she said.
The medical community and the faith community can learn from each other to better assist individuals and families affected by mental illness but the learning has to go both ways, Baugh said.
“The key is open dialogue and education. Mental illness is a real medical condition not a failure of willpower and not a failure of the individual’s faith and prayer life. The more that ministers and lay leaders can learn about mental illness and its causes, the greater quality of life individuals with mental illness can have.”
(BP, BNG contributed)
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