I recently read two really great books. One was about what
the Bible had to say about mental illness and the other was about what the
church's mission should be concerning those with mental health problems. I
really enjoyed the book with the clinical and Biblical perspective on mental
illness. It was very unique and even include examples of mental illnesses found
in the Bible, but that is not what I want to talk about. What I want to talk
about is the church and where is stands when it comes to ministering to those in
it's congregations with mental illnesses. I’m not just saying this because I
just read a book on it…well, not ONLY because I just read a book on it…I’m
saying this because I’ve lived it.
Based on what I’ve read, one in four people will suffer a
diagnosable mental illness in their lifetime. That means that it is possible
for ¼ of any given church’s congregation to be suffering with mental health
problems at some point in time. To me that is a staggering amount of suffering
going on in the church.
Now let me honest here. I haven’t been attending church regularly
for a long time. And it’s not because I’m mad at the church or hurt by the
church or mad at God or anything. Honestly…it’s because crowds freak me out.
And the church that I like to attend is a slightly larger church…so there is a
crowd there. (But I'm working towards overcoming this fear in therapy so hopefully sometime in the near future I will be back in church.) But the people there are great. I have never felt judged by any of
them or felt any condemnation because I have a mental illness. None of them
have suggested an exorcism after reading a post about me hallucinating demons
up here…so they’re pretty cool there. And I’m gonna be honest, I don’t know
enough about their ministries to know what all they do to reach the mentally
ill in their congregation, but I do know that they have a counseling ministry,
so I know an effort is being made to reach out to the suffering…of all kinds.
Now, I would like to tell you some of the horrible things I’ve
bumped into because of being mentally ill and being a Christian and trying to
be in church. One of the first things I heard a preacher say that really got
under my skin was that “we don’t need antidepressant, we need Jesus!” Now, don’t
get me wrong, I’m all for the miraculous healing power of Jesus Christ, but to
tell a congregation that they don’t need antidepressants, well that’s just
wrong. Now, this pastor just said antidepressants, but I’m going to say this
about all psychiatric medications, because I have heard other well meaning
Christians talk bad about psychiatric medications and say that no one should be on
them. So, please, please, please, PLEASE, if you have ever been told this by a
well meaning Christian or pastor don’t take it to heart. I’m sure this pastor (or
whomever said this) meant well, but if you take antidepressants, or any other
psychiatric medication, don’t stop taking them…especially without your doctor’s
help. And don’t stop taking them because your pastor told you to…that is
STUPID! I’m sorry if that seems harsh, but it is. Your pastor is human! He is
not God! He doesn’t have the power to heal you, only God can do that. So unless
you have felt the Holy Spirit speak to you, telling you, you are healed, do not
go off your medication, and even if the Holy Spirit has told you, you are healed please go off your medication with the help of your doctor...suddenly stopping psychiatric medications can be very dangerous.
Another thing that I’ve heard before is that mental illness
is cause by demons and that you simply have to pray the demons away. I am now
at the point in my life that I would like to slap the next person that says
that to me. Mental illness is a sickness just like any other sickness we get.
Just like cancer. Just like diabetes. Just like Crohn’s disease, and all other
sicknesses. And do you know where all theses sicknesses come from? They come
from sin. They come from the fall. They come from the moment Adam and Eve ate
the forbidden fruit. The moment Adam and Eve ate that fruit they brought
sickness and disease into this world. And the brain is an organ just like any
organ and it can get sick just like any other organ can. And that is where mental
illness comes from…a sick brain. That is all it truly is…a sick brain. But the
brain is highly complex. And this complexity of the brain makes treating mental
illness difficult...which is another reason people have difficulty believing mental illness is a really illness. But, this complexity is why finding the right course of treatment for two people
with the same diagnosis can be extremely difficult. But there are great doctors
out there, that have great minds and a lot of patience and work hard to find
the best way to treat each patient that comes into their office. So, no…mental
illness is not caused by demons. It is not caused by demon possession and it is not caused by demon oppression. So, if you are going around telling people that have a mental illness that they need to pray away the demons...please do me a favor and stop it...your just hurting them.
One reason I think the church is so reluctant to reach out
and help the mentally ill is because they are afraid. I think that a lot of
people watch a little too much TV and believe that mentally ill people are
dangerous. Ok, so here’s the thing…most of us aren’t dangerous. Most of us are
really just frail, frightened and suffering individuals who really just need a
compassionate, loving, Spirit filled Christian to reach out to us and show us the love of God. I have
been hospitalized seven times and I have only met 2 dangerous people out of all
of those times. Now, let’s keep in mind: I WAS IN THE A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL. I
was in a place where people go when they are at their worst. This is a place
where people are put when they ARE dangerous and out of all those seven times I
have been in that hospital I have only met two truly dangerous people. And the
only reason they were dangerous was because they were psychotic. I left before
they were stabilized, but I’m willing to bet, that once their doctor found the
right medication for them they were no longer a danger to society. If you want
to know the honest truth about the mentally ill…most of the time we are more of
a danger to ourselves than we are to anyone else…if we are a danger at all.
Let’s talk about lack of education. Most pastor’s and their
staff just don’t understand mental illnesses. I’ve never attended seminary, but
I’m pretty sure there isn’t a class that teaches you about the mentally ill,
unless it’s taken as an elective or something. I think that churches need to
educate themselves on the mentally ill. Not only could this keep them from
saying hurtful things and believing silly untruths, but it could also save a
life. If the church is aware of the signs of mental illness and even the signs of suicide, then perhaps they can spot people in their congregation suffering
and reach out to them. I can’t count how many times I have sat alone in a
church service suffering in silence and no one has noticed anything was wrong
with me, even when I know, in hindsight, I was showing some signs of distress. If
churches could educate themselves, maybe even offer a class to those interested
in learning more, then a lot of things could change for the better. And if you
are wondering how on earth you could offer a class to your church…I’m willing
to bet there are professionals out in the community (or possibly even in your church already) that would love to help
educate people on spotting signs of mental illness and suicide and things like
that.
There is one thing I would like to suggest that churches
could do that I believe would be very beneficial to those in the church
suffering with a mental illness and even to the family members of those who
suffer with a mental illness. Support groups. This is something that was
mentioned in one of the books I read and I really loved how it was executed.
Not only did these support groups reach the church but it also reached the
community. The book made the point of saying that a lot of people turn to the
church when they start suffering but when there is no help for the mentally ill
in churches then they have no where to turn…so they continue to suffer in
silence, or look for help in the secular world. And I believe that a Holy Spirit
lead support group for the mentally ill and their families could do way more
for someone than a secular support group. I did a Google search on Christian
support groups for the mentally ill in my area before I decided to write this
post and there are none. I would love to attend something like that, but sadly
it’s not out there.
Well, I have rambled on enough on this topic. I could keep
going, but I think I have said enough for now. I hope I have given you all some
things to think about. Hit me up if you have any questions…or if you would like
to know what the two books I just read are. For now,
Love, Randi
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