This week’s Baptist Standard featured an article about the church and mental illness. For many their church is the first place they turn for help but when it comes to mental illness the church is often not able or willing to help. According to a study by Baylor University 30% of people who turned to the church for help with mental illness were told they didn’t have a problem. Further 57% were told by ministers to stop taking medication. Those stats are unsettling. If member approached the church with a physical or other medical need they would certainly get support. Very few ministers would even considered telling a heart patient to stop taking medication.
How should the church respond to those with mental illness? I understand that many ministers and churches are not equipped to provide counseling but at the very least we can create an environment of support. Simply being accepting and supportive of those struggling with mental illness is a good place to start. What is your church doing?
- Ministry to High-Needs Members by Chuck Warnock
- Transformational Goals in Christian Counseling by Quinn Hooks
The Dee Zone 
That’s the type of non-sense we hear from some of our counseling “professors” here at SEBTS. The inane idea that there is no such thing as mental illness, only sin. So depression, fibromyalgia, and other such issues are nothing more than sin problems, so stop taking medicine. Medicine is sinful, because it does nothing more than cover up you sinfulness. Many ministers may not be equipped to counsel, but they need to learn. And, we need to read some of the research about mental illnesses, instead of pretending they don’t exist, since we can’t find them in the Bible. Of course, the other side of that coin is the abundance of ministers who refuse to deal with the sin aspect, and simply allow secular counselors to dope our people up. We have absolutely no sense of balance. None.
-Alan
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When I was at SWBTS there were 3 different counseling programs one traditional counseling from a Christian perspective, Pastoral and Bible based. In my PASM classes we were taught more crises counseling and to realize when to refer someone to other kinds of help. The Bible based people didn’t like the other two approaches.
In some cases I think sin may cause mental illnesses especially depression. However most of the cases where I saw link between sin and mental health issues the individual involved was the victim. Past issues were not being dealt with.
I do believe there are examples of mental illness in the Bible Saul, David, and even Job.
Meds can be a useful tool. Some people need medication to deal with depression. For others depression is a sign of another medical condition both asthma and diabetes uncontrolled lead to depression. In those cases medication is needed to treat the underlying conditions.
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Thank you for posting this. I went for years without my Bipolar Disorder being diagnosed and it was a horrible time. I talked to ministers and it seemed to help for a time, but I had long lasting symptoms that needed to be dealt with on a medical level. I was worried about the stigma as I am going into Southern Baptist ministry. Fortunately, my church’s youth and education minister pointed me to a doctor who is also a member of our church. I have freedom in Christ, and God allows doctors to demonstrate His love in a way.
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Justin, I want to warn you that you WILL encounter some people who will judge you. Be prepared for it. If you go to NOBTS (I believe that’s where you want to go), then you won’t see it in seminary like I do up here. But, be prepared, and remember to love people even when they curse you. It’s a shame that some Christians would deny that there is any such thing as Bipolar Disorder, but trust me, I’ve heard them say that exact thing. I’m glad you’ve found the help you needed.
Dee, it’s definitely a case of both/and. My wife suffers from depression, and it can be really tough at times. Her mother and father both suffer from it. Her grandmother suffers from it. Her brother suffers from it. Some may call it generational sin, I suppose, but to me it shows there’s some genetic linkage. Now, in that, there’s probably sin involved, at least somewhere. And, we can’t let depression be an excuse to sin. But sometimes, whatever the mental illness may be, telling people they simply don’t love Jesus enough, nor do they pray or read their Bible enough, only adds to the depression. This is especially true if they are suffering because they have been victimized. If that’s the case, then they already feel an extreme amount of unnecessary guilt, and saying junk like that will only add to it.
Anyway, it’s sad the way some Christians “counselors” have accepted the dichotomy set up by secular psychologists, where you have science on one side and the Bible on the other. I don’t accept that dichotomy. As for meds, a Christians friend of mine, who is a physician (as is my father-in-law, who agrees with this statement), said this: “Sometimes, people suffering from mental illness need medication to help them be able to see the problem. Mental illness can be so blinding that you can’t see the forest through the trees, and medication can help clear things up enough to be able to see other, deeper problems that may exist.” I thought that was good advice.
-Alan
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Justin,
Alan has good advice about being prepared for those who will judge you because of mental illness. I would definitely advice that you stay away from SWBTS.
Alan,
That is good advice. My only concern about medication is that I have seen some doctors who choose to over medicate rather than deal with the problem. Of course, that is true for many medical conditions. It is also important for someone being treated for depression to check for diabetes, thyroid problems, asthma or other medical conditions that can contribute to depression. Just to make sure that there aren’t some other health issues that need to be dealt with as well.
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As someone who has no use for church and it’s seemingly endless and oppressive concerns I want to thank you for adding a little humanity by attempting to address this problem in one form or another.
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TY.
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In my circles, the argument would likely be that many people seek religion due to mental illness. While I don’t necessarily agree with that (though I’m also sure it happens, since I’ve seen it), I do think it is an interesting counterpoint which I haven’t seen verbalized here yet.
While I don’t really have anything to add beyond that, since this is hardly my area of expertise, I will say that I think this is an excellent subject for discussion.
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ENM: I have encountered many with mental issues who are very religious. However, their version of religion is often unbalanced or has other serious flaws.
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Thanks, Dee. I liked Chuck’s post also. Thanks for the link.
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Quinn: YW
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My son was taking Zoloft and we believe either taking it or withdrawing from it caused the dark impulse that took his life last March. He had severe mood swings and did not seek professional counsel. Suicide is an adverse affect of all mind altering anti-depressants. Watch the commercials for these meds…the side effects take longer to list than does the benefits. I say this because too much merit is given to these drugs. I am a Christian and so was my son. I have read many books and sought sites such as this one to help my understanding of what happened. My biggest problem has been my faith vs. mental illness….where does God fit into this. There are no answers. I know that medication under strict supervision can be helpful but I also know we turn to God as well. Sometimes we are not willing to wait for the answer in this fast paced world. I do believe clergy have it wrong to dismiss mental illness as a spiritual problem and those who do may be among the statistics of suicides among the clergy. The guilt and shame can overwhelm a person…and I know Christ died so we did not have to bear that but we are humans, just the same and the mind is a powerful thing: even when it is sick.
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I’m so sorry for pain mental illness has caused your family. Mental illness is the only illness the church has problems with treating.
While I think there may be spiritual aspect of mental illness, that is not the only solution. Many need medication at least temporarily to gain control of the situation. Others need it permanently.
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Could it possible that most feelings of depression are based on guilt that is difficult or impossible to help. Some problems can’t be fixed and that can lead to suicide.
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Isn’t that kind of the definition of depression.
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Why does the church have a problem “treating” mental illness. Scripture gives examples of Phuscial disablities being healed and sometimes not. What example of mental illness is there in Scripture?
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Mark 5, the Gerasene man had mental illnesses due to spiritual oppression.
King Saul and King David suffered from depression. Think Job also had to deal with that. It has been suggested that Mary Magadeline had been healed from mental illness.
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Sorry that was physcial not phuscial – that’s what I get for typing one-handed while nursing.
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mental illness is a symptom of a vacuum in the afflicted person’s life. the void left by a once traditional large and happy family and religion (not to mention culture) can only be filled by the psycho-detritus and static garbage of a brain going round & round in circles. the only solution is the great outside. free exploration of the world and total escape from the word. a return to innocence is needed. that requires cherishing ur freedom and not giving a deleted. both revolutionary things. as for drugs, substitute food (per instinct of the moment).
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Let’s face it. Ministers are blinded by the GOSPEL. They feel that every cause and answer is in the Bible. How absurd. Doesn’t the Bible say that a boy had a Deaf and dumb SPIRIT? Deafness is caused by a SPIRIT? Come on, get
serious. The writers of the Bible were uneducated as to the nature of the problems. Everything was believed to be caused by a Spirit. Many Pastors are UNEDUCATED…that’s
right..UNEDUCATED. Science has led us to many truths…E.G. Galileo and the Sun vs the Earth. The Catholics condemned him for telling the TRUTH. I have had it with churches. They don’t want to know TRUTH.
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Mike,
Thanks for your input. However I disagree with you on many points?
Some ministers may believe that the Bible is the answer for all counseling issues but not all.
As for the deaf and dumb spirit that is not saying that all deafness is caused by a spirit. The Bible writers were no more uneducated about the causes of many things than their non-religious peers.
Why do you believe pastors are uneducated? Most that I know have several degrees.
Yes, science has found the answers to many things but science does not have the answer to everything.
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To ThedeeZone:
I am well aware that science does not know everything. My doctors have readily admitted this, It’s not the Doctors attitudes, In my experience it is the obstinate Priests and ministers who cannot face the fact that the Bible does not have all the answers. If their way does not work, they put the onus on the victim. Of course, they can never be wrong after all, they believe in Jesus……what a farse.
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Sounds like you have the same attitudes toward religion that of those you are critical.
Think the Bible has more answers than you are willing to acknowledge. One problem with finding answers for in the Bible is not reading into the text things that the text was never meant to say.
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It is not just the church that does not understand mental illness. Most people do not and they would rather not understand it. My daughter was Diagnosed with bi polar disorder at 15. She grew up in a christian environment and was more or less tossed out by those we had trust and faith to understand and help. She had this experience in more than just that school and church. She has had it everywhere. I strongly believe that the values she learned as a child are still there just that the illness has clouded her vision so to speak. This is not just a church thing it is a people thing. She misses church but is afraid of condemnation so she will not go back. She is afraid of the same things with university and old friends. For those that do not know bi polar disorder is a genetic disorder her dad, my dad and my aunt had this same disorder. Yes the church does not know or understand how to help. As far as the Bible goes I believe it is there for you to read and study and if you let God lead you when you read it will help. No they did not know what we know now medically but faith has more than a huge role to play in this. When you read the Bible you get out of it what you bring to it. If you have a closed mind to it then it seems unhelpful but with an open mind and your life experiences it can, does, and will offer comfort. Like all things in life if you have an open heart. It always amazes me when someone reads a passage and understands it differently not necessarily wrong but different because of where they are in their walk and world. The church is not always right it is made up of people and people are not perfect. Because people do not understand do not say they out there hurting on purpose. Maybe someday brain disorders will not be seen as such as scary terrible thing and people will want to learn to understand, tolerate and help people with these problems. That is my prayer tolerance. For with out tolerance then help and acceptance can not happen. In the church or in any part of life.
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While many in the church are not able to deal with those with mental illnesses many of us try.
Thank you for your comment.
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While it is nice to try, you have to learn that your
trying just does not help. People want results and Christians always put the blame on the sufferer when their
little belief system fails….it is easier to blame the victim than to readily admit that what they believe may not be true. I have heard ministers blame the victim for their
lack of faith and it can be devastating. Besides most Christians do not even know what the Bible is supposed to mean as there are many denominations and divisions within each denomination. It’s a joke and they can’t ,or won’t admit that it is.
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Mike,
Obliviously, you are biased against Christians. There are many points in your comment that need to be addressed.
While it is nice to try, you have to learn that your
trying just does not help. That is your opinion. There are many approaches to Christian counseling. Some Christian counselors use only Bible based counseling while others do not. I think you are unwilling to admit that anything that is Christian can be helpful.
People want results and Christians always put the blame on the sufferer when their little belief system fails….
No some Christians blame those that are suffering while most do not.
when their little belief system fails….it is easier to blame the victim than to readily admit that what they believe may not be true.
There are some Christians that may do this. If by belief system failing you mean when things go wrong or bad things happen then that is where faith steps in. It isn’t a matter of having all the answers but knowing that my faith lies in the one who does.
I have heard ministers blame the victim for their
lack of faith and it can be devastating.
Yes, I’m sure you have heard some minsters do that but that is not all ministers. It sounds as if you have had a bad experience that caused your own belief system to fail.
Besides most Christians do not even know what the Bible is supposed to mean as there are many denominations and divisions within each denomination. It’s a joke and they can’t ,or won’t admit that it is.
That comments indicates that you do not really understand either. Denominations are not the same as divisions. Denominations have come out of a difference in understanding and practice of what is taught in scriptures. Just because there are different denominations does not mean that Christians within those groups are divided but rather have a different perspective. Understanding scripture goes beyond just reading the Bible and seeing what it means to you but to discover what the original author intended for the original reader and how that applies today.
It really sounds like your own lack of understanding and experiences have caused you to be biased against anything Christian. You have judged all Christians based on those who have hurt your. Not all Christians are like the ones who hurt you.
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It is not just I that have seen this it is many people who have experienced this. They throw around their little Christian cliches like God helps those who help themselves and God does not give you any more than you can handle. It is their attitudes that need adjusting. If God does not give people more than they can handle then then why do some commit suicide and why are hospitals needed. And this thing called Faith…if a person has this then they can ask for anything and it will be given. Most Christians do not have this thing called Faith.If they had Faith then they would get what they wanted. Most Christians I know look down on non-Christians and Atheists..most of who are better people than they are.
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First of all God helps those who helps themselves is not in the Bible. In fact it goes against what is clearly taught in the Bible.
As for God not giving you any more than you can handle. I have too have had that one misused against me. The other part of that is with God’s help he will enable us to handle things. However, that also means we have to be open to his help and depending on him. That doesn’t mean life is going to be easy going both the books of Job and James confirm that.
As for the need for hospitals and evil we live in a fallen sinful world. God allows us to choose to fall Him or not. Not every choice we makes is in God’s will. Further our choices effect others and sometimes that can be hurtful to them.
Faith is not about asking for anything and getting what we want. God is not a vending machine where we drop in a prayer and get what we want. Nor can we claim something and demand he give it to him. People are quick to clue in to the phrases Ask and it shall be given but forget the passages like “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you desires of your heart.” If we are truly in line with him, seeking him and delighting him our priorities will change. Many of the things that are asked for are selfish or wants not needs.
I disagree most of the Christians I know have faith but are in different places in the journey of faith. Faith is more than asking. It is the claim assurance that God will keep the promises has made and the certainty of what we can’t see.
Very few Christians I know look now on non-Christians. I certainly don’t. Being a Christian isn’t about being a good person. Literally it is a follower of Christ. As a result of following the teaching of Christ one’s life should change.
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A friend posted this on faith.
“Faith Is the ability to let your light shine even after the fuse is blown. Faith is seeing light with the eyes of your heart, when the eyes of your body see only darkness ahead.
While sorrow looks back and worry looks around, faith looks up. As we pray, we may face finite disappointment, but we never lose infinite hope!”
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You sound good and sincere and are probably in the minority. I can, however, only talk about my experiences as
they are what I have seen.
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Yes I am sincere and no I do not think I’m in the minority.
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You can be sincere and still be wrong….Food for thought
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I would say that applies to you as well. It sounds like that you have had a bad experience with those of faith. One important aspect of faith or at least for me has been learning I do not have to have all of the answers. If you read much of my writings you will learn that I am 1) not shy about vocalizing my beliefs. 2) Confident in what I believe. This is not based up feelings or what I’ve been told but years of study.
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Ok, I’ll leave it at that. For me and many ex born
again TYPES, we have come to the fact that the Bible is a
book of Fables and Myths. If you want to take it as truth
Fine. We know that we can’t prove it wrong and you can’t prove it Right. it’s all what you believe.
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MikeL,
You are allowed to belive whatever you wish. Unforunatetly, when Truth can be proven to you as true it will be too late.
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Studying the Bible for years does not make it true. In fact it has a brainwashing effect. I have talked to ministers who have studied for years and served who are now atheists.
They know that Religion is a drug and as Freud said the opium of the masses. I think Freud has a bit more credentials than you do, in all due respect.
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MikeL,
Your denying its truth does not make it false either.
Well, as for my credentials you don’t know them. However, I do have much more common sense that Freud.
So, believe what you wish and let’s see who is right in the end,
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If you have more common sense than Freud then why aren’t you famous? Please, let’s let it go. You think it’s real
and I think it is a fairy tail. Many agree with you and many agree with me. Neither of us can win..we can;t prove it.
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Common sense isn’t about being famous. Many famous people lack common sense.
Much of Freud’s work has been discounted in favor of more practical approaches to psychology like Maslow, Erickson and others.
As I have said before believe what you wish in the end we will see who is right.
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Spoken like a true Christian.They always try to win their argument by instilling FEAR into you. It is such a big business. Scare them and you will control them….and their
pocketbooks. Many so called believers are scared little children who come to religion out of FEAR. What kind of a belief system is that? If your product could stand on its own, many people would not be leaving it and fear would not be necessary to keep them. I never told my children of a God of fear and a place called Hell. That is so cruel, but being a Christian you would not understand that.
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There is no fear involved in my comments or scare tactics. You mentioned hell I didn’t. What I meant and said was in time will tell who is right. If I’m am correct and heaven or hell awaits or that there is merely nothing after death.
Further it was God’s love not fear of hell or any scare tactics. I have chosen to keep my belief system out of my own choice not fear. Further I have studied other belief systems but belief that mine is correct.
Yes, telling a child about hell and a God of fear is cruel if that is the limit of what you tell about God. God is a just and righteous God but He is also a loving and merciful God.
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Also, if what you believe is so vaild, then try to explain this……..
http://futurestorm.blogspot.com/2009/03/religion-of-future-christianity-on.html
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According to research by Ed Stetzer and others one of the reasons people leave Christianity and/or the church is the culture of the church. Many times those in the church just don’t get what Christianity really is or should be. Too much extra stuff has become a part of the church. Many in the church haven’t taken the time to really understand what the Bible says. I wrote more about this here.
Once again I will say that you are welcome to your own opinions and I respect that.
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OK, that’s fine. Human beings are complicated and religion
can be also. But I agree that many leave for lack of understanding but many leave because they just do get anything out of it any more. As for heaven and hell,I do not think that a righteous God would throw anybody into Hell. It just does not make sense under any circumstances.
That is a scare tactic.
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You’re right God doesn’t throw anybody to hell. It is a choice. Humans have free will, to choose or reject God.
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If my kids rejected my wishes, I would not send them to a place of eternal torture, even if they chose it.
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It is a matter of free will and choice.
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Dee,
I have been a pastor for 13 years and been in the capacity of spiritual advisor for another 4. This is now my 8th year working in the mental health field. Please go easy on Mike, there are a number of kernals of truth to what he says – the church has not done a wonderful job with how they have handled power over the centuries.
One of the problems the church gets into with handling mental illness is that they sometimes approach it from the perspective that they need to rescue people – Jesus calls us to approach people from the view of care and compassion, to treat people in the same manner that we would like to be treated. We are not to take an attitude of we must have all the answers or that any answers we have are the only right ones. Jesus calls us to be caring, not to be right. People with a mental illness are created by God, just as people without a diagnosis are. It is interesting that we would never treat people with cancer in the same manner, there is an outpouring of sympathy whenever someone receives news of having a terminal illness. But somehow the church has taken the belief that a mental illness (as opposed to a physical one) demands that we approach it almost entirely from a spiritual perspective. You might know that for many people with a diagnosis spirituality is a very important piece in their journey – for many it has been there even before the diagnosis. We need to get rid of the idea that people with a diagnosis are somehow spiritually weak or inferior, nothing could be further from the truth.
The other area that the church could stand to grow in is to become educated, there are many myths being taught about mental illness largely these myths are being driven by the media (eg. violence is NOT a symptom of mental illness). Yes, it would be wrong to say, from a spiritual perspective, that those educated in this area have all the answers, however, it is just as wrong to write off all of their education as being of no value, we would not do the same with a medical doctor who treats us for heart problems. The psychiatrists and psychologists have knowledge that we can learn from, even if we do not agree with all of their values. To exclude their contribution to understanding the problems would be arrogance.
Jesus said that “…by this shall all know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.” Not by being right, not by our ability to interpret scripture, not by our theology but by our willingness and ability to receive and give love.
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Mark,
If you read the entire dialogue with Mike you will find I was not as hard on him as you thought. The problem I had was his insulting language.
Yes, he had many valuable points and some I agree with.
I disagree with you on the following point. Violence can be a symptom of mental illness. Not always and only in extreme cases.
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Dee,
What I am trying to get at is that violence is not a symptom of any of the disorders. Yes, people with a mental illness can exhibit violent behavior, but so can people without a diagnosis. Timothy McVeigh was not mentally ill, but he believed that he had a right to hurt people when he was angry – that is pure selfishness and insensitivity to the needs of others. There has been much damage done in this society due to the distancing of people with a diagnosis due to the belief that they are somehow inferior, weak or need rescuing rather than finding and honoring their giftedness.
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Mike,
Based upon things I have seen at work I believe that in some cases it is a sympton of mental illness. I realize that the cases at my work are the extreme and far outside the realm of “normal”.
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