Evidence is growing of the value that faith-based organizations offer to people with mental illnesses.
Faith-based communities often contribute to recovery by promoting hope and by offering solace and comfort in troubled times; and many consumers acknowledge the positive impact of spirituality and faith on their recovery and ability to cope with life's stresses.
However, not all faith-based organizations are equally knowledgeable about how best to serve people with mental health disorders.
The information available on this Web page can help faith-based communities - both clergy and congregants - increase their awareness of mental health issues and find ways to welcome and support people with mental illnesses, thus reducing discrimination and increasing social inclusion.
1 in 4 households in your church is afraid to tell you this secret
By Carlene Hill Byron
How many families in your church have a loved one who struggles with mental health problems? That’s kind of a trick question. People don’t talk about mental health problems. You’re more likely to hear
them describe their child’s condition as “something like autism,” as the elder of one church we know says. Or they might cover up entirely, as does an elder’s wife in another congregation. When her bipolar disorder swung into mania after childbirth, her family, already managing the added responsibilities of a newborn, had
to manage her condition as well. But because her condition is a secret, they did so without any support beyond the usual “new baby” dinners. The answer to the question is, if your congregation is representative of the U.S. population, one in four
households will struggle with someone’s mental health problems over their lifetime. That’s schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, disabling chronic depression,and various anxiety disorders. Look at the faces seated around you this Sunday. Someone is probably hurting. And they’re probably afraid to tell you.
The least acceptable disability
A study where people ranked disabilities by their “acceptability” returned these results, in order--most acceptable: obvious physical disabilities, blindness, deafness, a jail record, learning disabilities, and alcoholism. Least acceptable: mental health problems. People with mental health problems frighten us because when people become mentally ill, they become someone we don’t know. A bright boy who was his family’s bright hope may find he just can’t cut it anymore as schizophrenia turns him paranoid, disoriented, unmotivated in the extreme, and overwhelmed by
delusional voices that tell him, over and over, how worthless he is. Or, in the case of bipolar disorder, a girl who was a well-liked and active member of her Teen Challenge group may suddenly turn promiscuous, run away from home, and make a new home in the streets of a strange city. Laziness. Promiscuity. Violence. Sin.
That’s what many people see when they look at those with mental health problems. It’s hard to believe that people may behave in such unacceptable ways and not be in control of their behavior. Having a mental health problem is a lot like being on alcohol or drugs, without being able to stop. Medications “work” for
about two-thirds of us. That means that a third of us can’t ever get off the chemical ride that our brains produce. For those of us who can use medications, the side effects can be daunting. Many people become so frustrated with side effects that they stop taking medications. Only about half of us
accept treatment. Even when we are treated, not everyone regains their status as a fully functioning adult.
The challenging good news is that when people with mental illness turn to someone outside “the system” for help, the church is first to get the call 40 percent of the time. Is your church ready?
MFT CEUs, LCSW CEUs
Carlene Hill Byron is the former Director of Communications for Vision New England. Through NAMI—the Nation’s Voice on Mental Illness, she and her husband, James, train churches to effectively serve people within the congregation with mental health problems and also teach NAMI’s class for families of people
with mental health problems. They are members of Asbury United Methodist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, where James serves on staff.
First published by Vision New England’s Ministries with the Disabled, Acton, Massachusetts.
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