Dear Church: Mental Illness is not a Sin (Part 2)

Stop. If you haven't read Part 1 yet, please do.

And now, here's Part 2. Action Items. Aaaaand GO!

If you are a faith leader (or any human being, really) and feel a bit kerfuffled when you start thinking about mental health issues, keep reading.

1. Utilize your resources. You have literally no excuse to remain ignorant. SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) offers printed and digital publications on their website. The NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) is a fantastic source of educational information. TWLOHA (To Write Love On Her Arms) is a dedicated organization that targets millennials and hipsters alike. For acute situations, make use of the Suicide Prevention LifeLine or your local community Crisis Line. Pastor Rick Warren offers a Mental Health Resource Guide here. Best of all, these are all FREE.

2. Don’t forget the family members. Family members are likely the ones acting as virtual case managers for the ill. It is exhausting, all-consuming, and non-rewarding. When you’re unsure of how to serve a mentally ill person, you can start by serving his or her support system.

3. Educate, equip, and know when to refer out. Imagine a church that functions also as an educational institution: routinely offering Celebrate Recovery, FPU (Financial Peace University), parenting classes, job training, etc. These are life skills that enable success. However, when a person presents as psychotic, self-harming or suicidal, professional help is needed. Develop a network of trusted professionals as a referral source. When in doubt, refer out.

4. Incorporate small elements into your children’s ministries. During childhood, the groundwork for a fully-functioning life of health is being laid. As ThriveMoms reminds us, “How you speak to your child becomes their inner voice.” Elements of behavioral therapies such as positive self-talk can be easily intertwined with the bread-and-butter stories of David and Goliath.

5. Advocate in your local, state and federal government for funding and attention. How awesome would it be to see as part of our healthcare system: a free preventative mental health checkup in addition to the annual well-checkup now available through the Affordable Care Act? Who among your congregation has influences in political arenas

I would LOVE to invite you to contact me if you have any questions or if I can help steer you in any way. Feel free to email me at Amanda.Porter@LindnerCenter.org

Dear Church: Mental Illness is Not a Sin (Part 1).

How often do I meet with a new client who tells me they have delayed seeking mental health treatment because of what their faith community might think of them?

Every week.

How often do I meet with a new client who tells me a church leader pressured them to stop their mental health medication?

Every week.

How often do I meet with a new client who tells me a church member insinuated to them that seeking mental health treatment is a sign of weakness?

Every week.

I wish that every faith leader would hear me:

Mental illness does not equal sin.

Suicide does not equal hell.

Mental illness does not persist because of failure to believe or trust enough in God.

Church folk: please stop preaching that it does.

Instead, arm yourself with information because church is often the first place someone who is struggling will go for help and support.

Here are 5 tips for leaders when it comes to addressing mental health in your faith community, with action items to follow tomorrow:

1. Recognize the prevalence. 25% of the current US population face mental illness issues. Compare this to the 11.5% currently with heart disease, 8% currently with diabetes, and 1.59 million of the population being diagnosed with cancer annually (Simpson, 2013). Mental Illness is more pervasive than all of these, yet is avoided, brushed under the rug, and remains taboo.

2. Adapt your language. These words and phrases have become casually and commonly used in our everyday language: Psych ward, psycho, shrink, ‘gone mental’, ‘institutionalized’, ‘nuttier than a fruit cake’, ‘she belongs in a straightjacket,’ ‘he should be committed.’ This is demeaning and oppressive language. I would challenge you to change especially the phrase “she committed suicide” to “she completed suicided” or simply “she suicided.” This subtle change in vernacular leaves out the connotation that those with depression have somehow broken a law.

3. Be aware of pre-existing notions. A number of people are taught that if they would only pray enough, they would be healed of their depression. Could this happen? Sure. But what if it doesn’t? All that’s been accomplished is to reinforce that such prayers are inadequate, and perhaps God doesn’t love him/her as much as they believed. As Ann Simpson states, “Spiritualizing mental illness translates to blaming sick people for their illness” (2013).  

4. Examine why you might be hesitant, apprehensive or cautious. Be honest with yourself. Do you perceive mental illness to be a choice or a disease? Do you worry mental illness is associated with increased risk of violence? Are you wary of the very tangible effects of mental illness? They can be heady. Diabetes likely would not cause a person to lose his job, become homeless, and alienate himself from his family; but schizophrenia and alcoholism could. Your personal stigmas are reflected in your words and reflexes more than you realize.

5. Realize the gravity of the lack of a cure. Devastatingly, there is no cure yet, only management and remission. Life expectancy of a person with schizophrenia is approximately 13-30 years shorter than someone without mental illness (Sweers, et. al, 2011). We are literally discussing life versus death.

Of note: Please do not perceive any of these statements to be directed to or specific toward my church home. Which is amazing by the way. You’re missing out if you haven’t been: www.whitewatercrossing.org.

Sources

Simpson, A. (2013). Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission. Westmont: InverVarsity Press.

Sweers, K., et. al. (2011). End-of-Life Care: Perspectives and Expectations of Patients with Schizophrenia, Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 26, 246-252.