 Photo by Grant Ritchie on unsplash.com I have been a part of the Christian faith for most of my life. My family and I began attending the church I grew up in regularly when I was about 5 years old. Since then, the church has been a part of my life at some level. I entered the social service profession after college and became a licensed therapist about 10 years later. In the past 20 years of working in this field, I have heard all kinds of opinions about mental health. Some have been incredibly supportive, and others have been shockingly cruel. One of the most surprising realities to me as a mental health professional is that much of the stigma and negative opinion I encounter occurs within the Church. This surprises me because the Bible calls us to care for the hurting and vulnerable. And who is more vulnerable than someone experiencing symptoms of psychosis or suicidal ideation?
Over the past several years, I have begun to see a slight shift as the larger Christian Church in the US has started to recognize that mental health is a real issue that real people struggle with. This has been particularly encouraging to me as someone who actively integrates my counseling work and my Christian faith. Since stigma within the Church is something I have encountered so often, I thought that this month we would discuss the two most common negative opinions about mental health I’ve encountered within the Church and offer a Scriptural and balanced response to them. The most significant stigma I’ve encountered within the church is the idea that mental health challenges are a sign of weak faith. Often, I have encountered individuals who will say something like, “If they just had the faith of a mustard seed, then their depression would flee!” Or, “Jesus says seek and you shall find, ask and you shall receive. You need to seek and ask for your anxiety to be taken away!” I recognize that regularly seeking the Lord in prayer is a vital part of any Christian’s life, and when we come before the Lord seeking something, He will provide what we need, though not always what we want. With that in mind, telling a person who is struggling that it is because their faith is weak is cruel. This sort of response will not help them. It will more than likely worsen their experience. More importantly, this is not the response that Christ calls us to. When we see Jesus encounter oppressed people in the Bible (think lepers, the blind, women, and the poor), He doesn’t tell them that they are in that position because they lack faith. He touches them, He talks to them, He heals them, and He calls them to follow Him. We are to be imitators of Jesus. If we are going to imitate Him when it comes to mental health, then this is what we ought to imitate. Additionally, in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV) Paul writes, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Our call is to comfort one another as Jesus has comforted us. When we encounter someone experiencing a mental health challenge, let’s remember to offer comfort and support, not judgment and accusation. The second most common stigma that I have come across is that mental health challenges are a result of sin or demon possession. There are certainly situations in which someone’s experience with anxiety or depression are a result of sinful choices. And there are also very rare instances in which someone may have been oppressed by a demon. With that in mind, the vast majority of people facing a mental health challenge aren’t in that place because of sin or demons. The majority of people who are facing those symptoms are there because of their environment, how they were raised, or some sort of biological problem. Suggesting to someone that their crippling depression is a result of their sin is cruel. It is a direct parallel of the conversations we see Job and his friends having. In that book, Job’s friends tell him over and over again that his situation is because of something he did wrong. And we find Job defending himself over and over again. And, as the reader, we know that he did nothing wrong! Telling someone who is facing depression, bipolar disorder, postpartum anxiety, or any other mental health concern that it is happening because of sin or demons is deeply unhelpful. Again, when we look to Scripture, we find Jesus speaking with and healing sinners and the demon-possessed over and over again. But we don’t find Him ever judging them or being cruel to them. He will confront their sin if necessary, but He does this kindly and with deep compassion. Again, we are called to be imitators of Christ. In Galatians 6:2 (NIV) Paul writes, “Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Let’s stop accusing people of being possessed by demons and instead let’s help them carry the burden of their mental health challenges together. Mental health stigma has been a long-standing challenge in the United States and especially in the Church. Mental Health Awareness Month has been a great tool for starting to provide education that will reduce the stigma that is attached to mental health challenges. As sons and daughters of the King, let’s come alongside our struggling brothers and sisters and provide them with comfort and help them bear their burden as we seek to imitate Christ. Enjoy this post? Sign up for my monthly email list to make sure you don't miss any!
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