mental illness

~Anastasia~ said:

Hi Mike, and welcome to the forums!

Short answer, yes, Christians can have mental illnesses, the same as they can have physical illnesses. There are reasons we may be able to expect LESS susceptibility to illnesses of both kinds, but it does happen. Indeed, in some cases there are reasons we may risk more (think of Paul's instructions that some believers got sick - some even died - for failing to discern the Body of The Lord).

But in our particular Tradition (Orthodoxy) there is a vast store of wisdom on this very subject. We understand sin to be something like an illness itself, and various unhealthy mental (thought) practices are essentially mental diseases. I'm greatly, GREATLY oversimplifying. But of course the goal is to recognize these unhealthy thought practices and become healed from them. This would be different from such "mental diseases" as are caused by things like physical damage, structural abnormality, and the like - more organic causes.

As I said, this is vastly oversimplified.

Again, welcome to the forums! I pray you are blessed by being here!

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jacksknight said:

Because we live in a fallen, broken world we as Christians will suffers things like this. We will have mental issues, cancer, depression because in this world we can and will suffer like Christ. But God has given us ways to overcome all these things.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

So according to that verse if we love God and are called according to HIS purpose then he will work those things for good. That means that bad things will happen to us but God is able to use them for his glory. So we can trust him to handle those things.

That being said i wouldn't be the least bit surprised if God healed you or any of those people completely and in an instant. Another thing to consider as well is that sometimes suffering can come from God. He may use that as a means to grow you spiritually.

Hope this helps and i didn't make you more confused.

God bless!

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aiki said:

Hey, Mike! Nice to meet you!

Do true believers have mental illnesses? Yes.

Do their mental illnesses slowly get destroyed by Christ? That depends. Secular psychology has deeply embedded itself in the Christian community. So much so these days that it is given greater weight in the minds of many believers than God's truth offered to us in the Bible. What is forgotten is that much of modern psychology is still a very soft "science" and obtains its credibility largely by association with harder, more well-established fields of science like neuro-chemistry, neurology and biochemistry. Modern psychology is still in its infancy and is boiling over with new theories about the workings of the human psyche, many of which are in contention with each other and most of which end up in the dustbin of failed theories. Modern psychology is also derived from sources that, by and large, are naturalistic in their philosophical disposition. That is, they rule God out entirely right from the start. It is no surprise, then, that the remedy the Bible gives for mental and emotional distress often differs widely from the answers arising from secular psychology.

The Bible is very clear that, barring some biological deficiency or injury-related cause of mental and emotional dysfunction, peace, and joy, and contentment, and mental stability can be found in fellowship with God (Isa. 26:3; 54:13; Jn. 14:26, 27; 16:33; Ro. 1:7; 8:6; 14:17; 1Cor. 1:3; Ga. 5:22; Phil. 4:6, 7; Col. 3:15; 2Ti. 1:7, etc.). Listening to the sage-sounding claims of modern psychology, many Christians have come to doubt this is true, however, and have resorted instead to endless drug "therapy" and "counselling." The drugs and counselling never actually provide a remedy but they do blunt the force of the problems people face within themselves and this is preferable, it seems, to getting honest with God, and accepting responsibility for one's thought life and emotional state, and walking rightly with Him. It is in doing these things that real inner peace is found and maintained.

Moving into fellowship with God and the peace and joy that is in Him takes time. It is definitely a process. As you continue to walk with God and go deep with Him, however, the "peace that passes all understanding will keep your heart and mind." Don't be turned aside from doing so by those who would tell you godless humans know better.

Isaiah 26:3-4
3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
4 Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.

Selah.

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1watchman said:

One might keep in mind that "mental illness" is a relative term. Some of such is organic and physiological, and medication can help. It needs to be identified by a psychiatrist and neurologist. Other mental conditions are neurotic or character disorders, or otherwise functional from stress and PTSD, and also asocial rearing in a dysfunctional family. Certainly all need much prayer that God will give mercy and grace to one afflicted. I also believe Christians have a responsibility to ministry Jesus Christ to one who does not know Him, so they can begin to learn of hope ---such as first steps by reading the Gospels (noting John 1; John 3; John 14; John 17 for a general overview). Look up always!

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sparkle123 said:

Hi Mike. I am also diagnosed with mental illness and was judged to be disabled from my condition. I don't really identify with any of the diagnoses I received over the years--none of them seemed to describe me or take into account my life and what I was going through. I did get better after a long time of struggle and consider myself to be in recovery. I also think that God played a part in my recovery and now I devote my life to helping people with their mental health recovery so I get to see these miraculous changes everyday. I believe this is what God has called me to do, and I don't think I could walk away if I wanted to, so there are many hidden blessings in our illnesses, I think.

I think we can become more peaceful and whole as we draw nearer to God, "mentally ill" or not. I have seen many people, some even committed to state mental institutions, emerge from their illness and come back to life through faith and taking responsibility for their health and wellness. Even the secular mental health world acknowledges that spirituality is an important factor in overall health and wellness (SAMHSA includes it on their 8 dimensions of wellness). There has been a battle going on in the mental health world as to how to define and categorize mental illness. The National Institute of Mental Health withdrew funding from the newest version of the DSM due to a "lack of validity" in the diagnoses. It just shows how little is really known about these mental illnesses. Anyway... you're right and I think this is a very interesting topic. I'm glad you're here as one of God's miracles too!

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paul1149 said:

Hi Mike,

Never give up hope in the Lord. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, and He says that all things are possible to him who believes (cf. Mk. 11). Even under the old covenant, Ps 103 says that the Lord heals us of "all our diseases".

In Jn 15 Jesus tells us to abide in Him, so our requests will be granted. My own practice is to follow peace. That way I stick with the Lord, and don't place my desires, however good they may be, above Him.

Blessings.

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