Is mental illness a sign of spiritual weakness?

[Aino]

In your opinion, are mental illnesses real medical condotions? Some would say, having depression is really just a sign of spiritual weakness and laziness covered up, others say taking medication for mental illnesses is wrong, and many more say going to a nonchristian therapist would be harmful. In the Bible you would certainly not find anyone seeking help from a shrink... What is the right thing to do for a christian who experiences symptoms of a mental illness, be it depression, ptsd or schizophrenia?

 

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

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[majj27]

Some would say, having depression is really just a sign of spiritual weakness and laziness covered up

Some people are just plain wrong.

 

[Unofficial Reverand Alex]

Speaking as a psychology major, I can tell you that mental disorders are absolutely real things, something that isn't so much a result of strength or weakness, but much more a very complicated situation with the brain & the mind. Some people will work so much harder at being freed from mental illness than any of us will ever have to work at anything, so attributing laziness would really just damage them further.

No one consulted a shrink in the Bible because there was no such thing as a shrink until very recent history. Psychology wasn't even studied scientifically until the 1800s, in Germany, and only in the last century has much of this been taken seriously.

The proper way to treat a Christian for any of these conditions varies wildly, based on the Christian, the condition, and a thousand other factors. This is a very complicated field, filled with "Maybe" and "Try this" and "Try this instead". Really, the only general advice I can give for mental conditions is exercise, good friends, and prayer.

 

[Go Braves]

No, of course not.

 

[Neostarwcc]

As a person who suffers daily with my schizo-affective disorder. l have to say that mental illness is not a weakness. I can't tell you how many times I've prayed to God to heal me from it. Ive tried everything to get enough favor from God to heal me. God just plain won't free me from this curse. I will have my mental illness until the day I die. Or Jesus returns whatever comes first.

I even tried quitting my medication cold turkey. The withdrawals were horrible and the experience nearly killed me. After I quit cold turkey I didn't take my meds for about 2 years. I dealt with the mania, the depression, the voices...everything on my own. It sucked but I wanted to please God so that he would one day cure me.

I was pretty much forced to retake my meds because I had a major almost month long psychotic episode in which I didn't sleep for 2-3 weeks, thought my mother was God, thought that I was a divine being who could cleanse hell, and that my wife was the very devil himself. It was so bad that I was forced into a mental hospital for a week. When I was in the mental hospital they forced me to take my meds and I've been taking them ever since.

Its still hard even with medication to live with my mental illness. I still get delusions that Jesus is Satan and the Holy Spirit is Satan but I've had to learn to ignore them because I know they aren't true. But I don't get the depression, mania, and voices anymore. The meds do help and my advice for other people like me? Take your meds. It doesn't make you weak in God's eyes. Mental illnesses are incurable. You're stuck with them for the rest of your life. But have faith you won't have them throughout eternity. God bless.

 

[derpytia]

In your opinion, are mental illnesses real medical condotions? Some would say, having depression is really just a sign of spiritual weakness and laziness covered up, others say taking medication for mental illnesses is wrong, and many more say going to a nonchristian therapist would be harmful. In the Bible you would certainly not find anyone seeking help from a shrink... What is the right thing to do for a christian who experiences symptoms of a mental illness, be it depression, ptsd or schizophrenia?

Mental illnesses are just as physical as they are psychological. The right thing for a Christian with any sort of mental illness to do is pray, seek medical and psychological help, and remember to be kind to yourself.

And even if depression were spiritual weakness, I believe Jesus spoke on this subject quite clearly.

Matthew 5:3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

 

[Serving Zion]

In your opinion, are mental illnesses real medical condotions? Some would say, having depression is really just a sign of spiritual weakness and laziness covered up, others say taking medication for mental illnesses is wrong, and many more say going to a nonchristian therapist would be harmful. In the Bible you would certainly not find anyone seeking help from a shrink... What is the right thing to do for a christian who experiences symptoms of a mental illness, be it depression, ptsd or schizophrenia?

Mental illness is a dysfunctional combination of philosophy and environment (ie: the environment is triggering the thought processes to operate in a way that is unacceptable).

Sometimes the environment, being evil, needs to be changed so that it is not doing such harm toward the one, and then receiving proper care from the world in an environment of love, The Holy Spirit (ie 1 John 4:7-8) is able to heal that one's heart so that they do find the world acceptable again.

Other times, the one's philosophy (expectations, beliefs etc) have diverted from what is holy, good, acceptable etc, so that they object to the environment, even though the environment truly cannot be blamed (this is when their perspective alters reality in order to misrepresent it to their mind).

Because we live in a world that is spiritual and we do wrestle against an organised adversary that manifests through multiple channels and agents, the battle for our soul is that very assault of influencing our philosophy through gradual building-up of that philosophy through series of interactions with people and ideas that they plant in our mind (seeds that then grow - consider Matthew 13:27 with Psalms 24:1 and Matthew 25:41).

This is why it is commonly acknowledged that skilled and effective counselling can bring about healing for mental illness while medication does not have that effect primarily - it only makes the symptoms less severe, giving time that in many cases, the person does learn through community counselling, such as described, and they become healed that way - by learning new strategies for perceiving and coping with the reality of the world.

"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by its fruit."
Matthew 12:33

 

[W2L]

Its a weakness but not necessarily a spiritual one.

2 Corinthians 12:9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast [a]about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

[majj27]

Its a weakness but not necessarily a spiritual one.

So what kind of weakness is it, then?

 

[W2L]

So what kind of weakness is it, then?

I guess it depends on the definition of spiritual weakness. The apostle paul teaches us that weakness is actually strength. He wasn't referring to weakness against sin however. He was referring to trials and tribulation. He endured things like insults, hunger, distress, infirmities, persecution, and these were weaknesses that he found Gods grace in.

 

[W2L]

Show me a person who never takes medication. Everyone takes medication in their life. Medication isn't a sign of weakness, and neither is mental illness. Pauls words gave me purpose and hope. Im no longer bound by law or condemnation, i am free to worship God in spirit and truth. He is my judge and that is praiseworthy. Thank God i dont get judged in human courts. .My mental "weakness" is a reason for me to follow Pauls example, and to find a deeper relationship with the Lord in it.

 

[W2L]

Im proud to say i have mental illness. The Lord is with me. Once i had fear but now i have peace. Once i had a horribly ruined life that haunted me, but now i have joy. No matter how bad life gets the Lord is with me, and He is my beauty, my purpose, my strength. Praise the Lord my soul. When im weak im strong.

 

[dreadnought]

In your opinion, are mental illnesses real medical condotions? Some would say, having depression is really just a sign of spiritual weakness and laziness covered up, others say taking medication for mental illnesses is wrong, and many more say going to a nonchristian therapist would be harmful. In the Bible you would certainly not find anyone seeking help from a shrink... What is the right thing to do for a christian who experiences symptoms of a mental illness, be it depression, ptsd or schizophrenia?

I think some mental illness is medical and other mental illness is the result of bad lifestyle decisions.

 

[Blood Bought 1953]

I struggled with depression for five years.....suicidal depression....came over me gradually.....left me very quickly....NEVER give up......medication and God.....mainly the latter.....probably ALL the latter.....God provided the brains behind those that developed the drugs.

 

[Strong in Him]

In your opinion, are mental illnesses real medical condotions?

Yes.

Some would say, having depression is really just a sign of spiritual weakness and laziness covered up,

It's no more a sign of spiritual weakness than a broken arm is.
Endogenous depression is due to a chemical imbalance in the brain.

others say taking medication for mental illnesses is wrong,

No; it might be wrong NOT to take medication if someone has been diagnosed with a medical condition.

and many more say going to a nonchristian therapist would be harmful.

In what way? They're there to treat, not brainwash or indoctrinate.

Maybe these people think that a mentally ill person should go to their doctor and say "I need to see a therapist who is born again and is filled with the Holy Spirit"? Apart from the fact that such information may not be known, supposing there isn't one?

In the Bible you would certainly not find anyone seeking help from a shrink...

No, Saul didn't do that - he just tried to kill David instead.
I don't know if they had psychiatrists in Bible times.

What is the right thing to do for a christian who experiences symptoms of a mental illness, be it depression, ptsd or schizophrenia?

Go to a GP, who may start you on antidepressants and will be able to refer to a specialist. The specialist will be able to diagnose the mental health issue, if there is one.

 

[Love Others]

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