I have suffered from mental illness all my life. I have what I have chosen to accept as a medically diagnosed illness called Bi-polar II. I can go for months or even years with no or few problems, then I will cycle down and get into a deep depression. I have found myself in the midst of a dip into depression recently, and mainly what has been hurting me most is the lack of understanding by family and even fellow Christians. I have seen that there is a common debate out there: Is mental Illness a treatable medical condition that should be dealt with through prayer, medications, and therapy, or is it a weakness in the relationship with God, truly treatable only through prayer and meditation to develop a stronger relationship with God? I personally believe there is scientific proof to back up that mental illness is a physiological imbalance of chemicals that needs to be treated medically, therapeutically, and through prayer. This is why I felt the need to write this commentary today; to try to provide understanding about mental illness from a personal perspective, to the Christian community and those suffering from mental illness.
So many people see mental illness as a weakness, or a lack of closeness to God. I laugh at that, because I am never as close or praying as much as when I am in the midst of a depressive episode! My husband and I both have mental illnesses and have thought of going into ministry because we feel that God is having us go through the things we go through so we can be empathetic and helpful to others and bring them closer to Him. He uses me when I am in group therapy to be able to discuss Him when people ask about God. I feel He leads me to go about it gently and let Him show me who to talk to, rather than forcefully trying to convert everyone I meet. I think He uses me to show people that Christians suffer too, but they can have the comfort of a loving God who carries them through the difficult times.
I do believe that there are parts of mental illness that can be cured through a relationship with God, but also think that it is a illness just like any other -- you would not try to get closer to God instead of taking insulin for Diabetes, or forego chemotherapy to cure cancer . . . Miracle healing from God can happen in all of these situations, and often they are part of a plan to help us be "pruned" to produce good fruits in the future (see my post called "A Visit with the Vinekeeper" for more explanation on this), however, that does not mean you should forego medical treatment and therapy.
If your son was in a wreck and was told that with therapy he could walk again, would you say, "Son, don't get therapy, just pray every day and then one day you will walk." NO!!! You would say "get the therapy and pray while you do it and God will make you walk again." Mental illness is no different. It has been scientifically proven that mental illnesses arise from chemical imbalances in the brain. A PET scan of the brain of a normal person compared to a person with mental illness would show that certain areas of the brain lack chemical activity required to maintain mental health. The PET scan is not done on every person who comes in for mental illness treatment because of the cost and the fact that there are known questions that can be asked to determine which mental illness the person has without doing the scan.
So, we know that mental illness is not a weakness, a shortcoming in relationship with God, or because of laziness. Does that mean that God can't or won't help in the cure for the illness? NO!!!! As I stated before, I do believe that many of the things that arise in the life of a person with mental illness can be helped by further developing a relationship with God and understanding their purpose in life.
It also helps a great deal to have a strong relationship with God because certain torturous aspects of the illness can go away with the close relationship with God. I can say for myself, that when I really got close to God and began to rely on Him to carry me through the hard times of depression, I stopped having suicidal thoughts. Suicidal thoughts are torturous because it is never what you really want to do, and they become like an obsession from which you feel you need to try to run and hide.
My relationship with God is not perfect, it is not where I want it to be, and it has not taken away all of the pains of my life. It does give me great comfort, however, and I trust that in time I will be able to be well without the help of medicine and through the help of God. I write this commentary to give comfort to those suffering from mental illness: know what you are going through is an illness, and that seeking medical treatment and therapy is what needs to be done to help you be healed. Also know, however, that the illness can be made better while you have it; you can find comfort, love and acceptance through God who loves you even though you have this condition. Be aware that your best hope for a full cure of this condition lies in seeking a deeper relationship with God. He is The Great Physician, and has trained physicians here on earth for a reason, just as He has trained those in ministry -- seek help from all of these aspects and you will be made whole!
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Comments: 16
Monica, you are so brave. You are so faithful. I'm so glad you wrote this down and published it here.
Sorry to go on a rant! Thanks for reading and commenting!
~Monica~
God bless you.
I don't know how religious you are, but one story I wrote for a friend actually helps me a lot when I get down. I have posted it here - A Visit With the Vine Keeper. I like to imagine myself sitting on God's lap and pouring out everything to Him as he comforts me, and I imagine myself dancing with the angel children on those glistening white clouds dusted with flowers. It does a great job to soothe and distract!
James, I discuss a bit about what you mentioned in that story as well. I think it boils down to free will and that sometimes the paths we choose in life cause a need to be "pruned."
Jeana, thank you for your kind words and prayers! You have been very kind in reading and nicely commenting on so many of my articles and I truly appreciate it!
This is good news for both you and I and other depressives, don't you think ? Certainly God is love and only good comes from God.
In 1999 I was diagnosed as Bipolar 1, and since then I have lost count of how many times I've been in the hospital. I think it's 15. I started stablizing some in 2002 when I quit drinking but I could not give up the habit of cutting myself when I crashed into depression. But the whole time I've been sick I've always felt that God was watching over me. That this was all for a reason. I was suppose to learn from this so I too could someday help another hurting soul like myself.
It wasn't until about a year ago when I overdosed on my lithium that I actually got on my knees and found that connection with God. As strange as that may seem. He saved me that night. I was put on knew medication after that incident and have improved drastically. No more cutting. But I still have to work hard to stay well with lots of medicaiton and therapy. I now have a personal relationship with God and we talk all the time. If it had not been for this illness I don't know if I ever would have found him. And that would have been a much worse tragedy than being Bipolar.
I would also like to say to Bert, that he is not alone. To reach out to another person like himself and find some support. He'll be in my prayers. My heart breaks for him.
Well I could go on and on. I want even start on the stigma and the people who are clueless. I would never shut up then. Thanks again for sharing with us all and giving me a chance to share back. It helps so much to talk to others about this terrible and debilitating illness.
Mental Illness and Creativity - What's Up With That?
Surviving 20 10-Milligram Tablets of Valium
Making it Through the Night
My Commentary on Making it Through the Night