#Break
the
Silence:
Mental Health and the
Mind of Christ
I
n recent years, mental health issues have
become a topic of conversation within the
church community. High profile deaths by
suicide – like that of the son of Rick Warren
(pastor and author of the wildly popular
Purpose Driven Life) – have made those in the
church pay attention to a set of illnesses that is
typically invisible – namely, mental illness.
Let me clear: we all have to deal with stressors
in life, whether they are related to our families,
careers or church challenges, we must all be
cognizant of and protective of our mental
health. What is mental health? By definition, it
is a person's condition with regard to his/her
psychological and emotional well-being. We
have to assess how we respond to stressors
constantly. For example, ask yourself, “What is
my general outlook on life? Am I hopeful? Do I
have a positive outlook on life or do I find
myself thinking dark and sometimes harmful
thoughts?”
Beyond the aforementioned responses to
everyday stressors, some pastors and
congregants in our church community find
themselves dealing with psychological and
emotional issues that are far more severe. They
include illnesses that are not easily
recognizable and not easily resolvable. Where
do people of faith turn in times of mental
crisis? Should they not receive answers in the
church? How can we break the silence, rid
ourselves of the stigmas and find real solutions
in the church, so that the needs of all
congregants are met as it relates to mental
illness?
The BrighterLife Magazine | Page 22
Carol Dowsett (2017) aptly highlights the
challenge of mental illness in the church as
follows: “All human brokenness is the result of
sin infecting the human condition at the Fall.
Some mental disease is caused by spiritual
issues, such as unrepentant sin or demonic
oppression, where some is due to chemical
imbalance or brain disease (biological), or past
traumas (psychological) just like other organ
diseases such as heart or liver problems.” The
importance of this quote cannot be
underscored enough. – We are all subject to
emotional or mental health issues and it is
imperative that the church understands that
some may involve more than simple stressors.
They may, in fact, find themselves battling
trauma and/or chemical imbalances.
According to research conducted by the
LifeWay Research (2017):
One in five adults will experience a
mental illness in the coming year. That means
every one of us knows someone who is living
with a mental illness – depression, anxiety,
schizophrenia, an eating disorder, bipolar
disorder, borderline personality disorder and
some additionally have a substance abuse.
Half of all adults will suffer from mental
illness in their lifetime.
Half of all chronic mental illness begins by
the age of 14.
One in five children will have a mental
illness by age 18.
Ninety percent of people who die by
suicide also had mental illness.
As a body of believers, it is important
that we know these statistics for the
following two reasons:
1.
2.
God wants us to be healthy and
whole. John 10:10 reminds us
that the thief comes only to
steal and to kill and to destroy. I
(Jesus Christ) have come that
they may have life and have it in
abundance (Holman Christian
Standard Bible). If we are all
born broken because of sin and
Christ wants to make us whole,
who is the vehicle for getting us
to wholeness? The church!
We have to educate ourselves as
a church to meet the needs of
people.
Break the Silence
One of the reasons for the church (as
a whole) being ineffective in helping
members dealing with mental illness
is because it has largely been silent
on these issues. Research suggests
that (Simpson, 2013):
Nearly half (44.5 %) of church
leaders are approached two to
five times per year for help in
dealing with mental illness.
When church people are on
medication or diagnosed with a
mental illness, over a third of
church people keep the matter
very private.