Title: Christianity and Mental Health - 4 Truths the Church Needs to Know About Mental Illness
Headings: 4 Truths People With Mental Illness Need The Church To Know
4 Truths People With Mental Illness Need The Church To Know
1. Mental illness is not a character defect or a spiritual disorder.
2. People with mental illness don’t just need prayer.
3. Mental illness doesn’t reveal a lack faith in God.
4. People with mental illness don’t need to ‘get fixed’ before they can be used by God.
Learning To Talk Openly About Mental Health
Churches need to become places where people feel welcomed to talk about mental health.

Content: They are ministry leaders, Sunday School teachers, and prayer warriors who believe God’s promises and cling to their faith as a source of strength in the midst of their journey with mental illness. The church can begin to embrace a holistic approach to mental health that doesn’t shame those suffering, but instead encourages individuals to pursue spiritual, emotional, and physical health. Photo Credit: ©Thinkstock/satura86
2. People with mental illness don’t just need prayer. LifeWay Research found that a third of Americans— and nearly half of evangelical, fundamentalist, or born-again Christians—believe prayer and Bible study alone can overcome serious mental illness. There are more than a few anecdotal stories from individuals in the church body who have been discouraged from taking psychotropic medications and/or attending therapy. Such suggestions trivialize the gravity of suffering many experience and prevent individuals from getting the help they need. While personal faith (including prayer) is shown to be a powerful component in helping ease symptoms of depression, studies also show that a combination of treatment options including therapy, psychiatric care, spiritual, emotional, and familial support, provides the greatest reduction of symptoms and long-term stability. We would never encourage someone with cancer to forgo medical treatment in favor of prayer alone, so why would we routinely dismiss treatment for those suffering with mental illness?