Why is mental illness viewed as a character flaw in the church?

[agrotherm]

Attitudes are improving but I still find people saying things like depression means you don't trust God or you do not have enough faith. Anxiety is responded to by the quote "do not worry" or "Be anxious for nothing". Depression means unforgiveness and that is a huge bugaboo in Christianity.

The church has no problem with healing from physical illnesses but seems to stumble over mental illness. Cancer is a disease but MH is not has been the impression I have received.

Usually I get told to forgive, that God will,provide, to fake it until you make it, etc. Such advice is well intentioned but not always helpful, especially when my mental health is affected by problems in my church. I lost the ability to worship when our church had a major scandal involving the worship pastor and the senior pastors and leaders. For someone who was in junior choir in the 1950s and on choirs and worship teams until a few years ago, the loss has saddened and puzzled me.

[PaperTigers]

The response to my mental health issues has varied vastly based on the "kind" of Christians I've been around. Some have literally tried to exorcise demons from me while one man reassured me that there was nothing wrong with being in antidepressants, he was on them too. It's crazy how much of a difference the group your exposed to makes. I think mental health can be partly spiritual because it is a battle of sorts but hey, there are very real problems with brain chemistry that causes this stuff which also makes it a physical problem too. At any rate, I hope you find some kind, compassionate Christians that don't alienate you due to your struggles. Ask God to return your heart for worship, I even lift my hands at home sometimes and just enjoy the music I play. I hope you find that in your heart again. God bless.

[Natureloverpeace]

Not everyone in the church believes that mental illness is a character defect or a lack of faith but there are still plenty of people who use religion in a way that is harmful. Yes, they usually mean well but ignorance isn’t always bliss. There is often a stark difference between how people respond to mental illness versus physical illness. I don’t like to use that distinction because an individual’s mental illness often is partly biological. Some brands of religion are better at how they view and understand mental illness than others. I belong to a church that is considered a mainstream church but there are probably people in it with a variety of degrees of understanding of mental illness. One of our pastors is open about seeing a therapist herself.

[bulldog71 in reply to Natureloverpeace]

I consider myself to have a strong belief in faith. I had crippling anxiety for 14 years. Went to therapists for ERT and CBT with varying degrees of success. I still use those techniques to this day. I had been on a lot of different medications over time. Then my very caring psychiatrist had to immediately retire do to his own health concerns. I had to find a new psychiatrist who started me over from scratch with only Luvox which I had never tried before. Within 3 months my crippling OCD was gone. I often questioned God, but I never lost faith. The Bible does say to cast your anxieties onto God which is very easier said than done for anyone yet alone for people like us who have chemical imbalances. Just like God guides the hands of a surgeon to cut out a cancer or inflamed tonsils He also guides therapists who have been specifically trained to help people with genetic and/or environmental mental health issues. God has also guided very bright scientists over the years to formulate medications that literally change lives for the better. Unfortunately, there are people in the church who view mental illness as a lack of faith. In my experience I think the number of those people are becoming fewer and farther between. My pastor also is very open about taking mental health medication and seeing therapists. I personally do not view seeking these treatments as having a lack of faith, but rather having faith to use the tools that God has provided us through the bright and talented individuals I mentioned above. Bottom line is God loves us and so do most other people in the world. We need to lean on both to live our lives to the greatest potential that we were designed.

[Natureloverpeace in reply to bulldog71]

Very well said, thank you.

[FirstResponder23]

I’m sorry to hear about your experience with the church and mental health. I too have seen pieces of that. When I have talked to someone religious about my mental health I heard similar things such as “we should not fear because God has us” and I felt a bit hurt because I felt as though I wasn’t doing enough.

However, after talking to other religious people, I had a more positive experience where I was able to look at faith and religion and my mental health in a different way. First, I was able to be thankful for my mental health. I looks as though God Has given me something to learn from, and it could be a lot worse. I was able to see the things he has provide for me such as a loving community to help, doctors to help, and people who listen.

I was then eventually able to say thank you to God for my mental health, and not want my life anyother way. I know it’s hard to think about, especially as I go through a tough time right now. But I know my mental health has brought me closer to God and allowed me to break out from the cookie cutter way of praying, believing, and serving. And for that I am truly thankful and grateful. And I will always attribute that to God and using my mental struggles as a guiding tool.

[OCDneedshelp]

it is so sad that some people of faith still don’t view mental illness as real thing.

As a Christian, I know that my domination recognizes and supports those who suffer from mental illness, as I suffer from and have received real support from my church and similar denominations.

Hope that you find peace.

[mister_safety]

I'm not churchgoer anymore, but this issue also exists in the wider society.

I do think though that the issue of God adds another wrinkle because of the reasons you provided. Christians might feel that it's a sin issue maybe.

Overall, I hope we can get to a place where mental illness isn't seen as different than any other physical problem. After all, ocd begins in the brain! The brain is a physical organ just like the heart. But somehow the brain gets no love and mental illness is o ly understood to exist in the abstract. I think because people see mental issues as an abstract concept that they become dismissive. Notice when people say things like "snap out of it" for depression or something like that.

Well if your brain has an actual chemical deficiency then you can't just overcome it without some type of treatment. It's no different than when someone needs to take heart medicine to manage their cholesterol.