When Mental Illness Strikes in the Church 2

Last time we started looking at what do we do when mental illness strikes in the church. Perhaps you are a pastor, a vicar, a leader, or just a friend to someone who is affected.  Is the church a place for such matters?

 Being there when Mental Illness Strikes:

#4  Look out for the kids

Help should be extended to the children and teenagers who are greatly affected by mental illness. 

Families need practical help in the same way as help is offered to families that go through grief, or families that have new babies.  The church is a family and so members should be on the look out for even the tiniest among us whatever the circumstances.

#5  Knowledge!

Find out more on mental illness and particularly the  disease  they are challenged with.  Do not be ignorant.  Find out what about their care and how effective it is.  Keep a tab on how they are progressing, or their challenges with the medicine or care they are getting.

#6  Visit

Visiting someone in a mental hospital may be strange, daunting and even frightening for some but it sends a powerful message of love and inclusiveness.  Those who can should definitely visit and most definitely the leader of the church!

#7  Don’t forget the caregivers

Anxiety is very common with caregivers of the mentally ill.  They may need that extra support spiritually and emotionally to strengthen them and give them the assurance that they are not alone.  

Do you have any tips of your own that has worked?  Remember, even well meaning leaders and congregants may be perplexed about the issues of mental illness.  Please share in the comments below.

About The Author

Zoe

Zoe met Eze (Chuck) in the 14th year of what turned out to be an 18 year ‘journey’ with mental illness. They got married less than a year of meeting with Zoe fully knowing Chuck had a diagnosis of mental illness. In the 18th year, Chuck defied the odds of mental illness. A consultant psychiatrist signed him off the mental health system with a bill of NO MENTAL ILLNESS. The consultant was so amazed by Chuck’s astonishing recovery that he even questioned how Chuck was diagnosed with mental illness all those years before, in the first place! Today Chuck is free from medication, its dependency and hospitalizations. Zoe’s award nominated book, DEFYING THE ODDS, chronicles the highs and ‘lows’ of this journey. Zoe, often writing from the standpoint of a caregiver, clearly understands that mental illness does not only affect an individual challenged with the disease, but also families, marriages and society as a whole.

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