Welcome to answers from an apostolic faith.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.
Today, my beloved, we are going to speak on the subject that is very often misunderstood in our homes and in our communities. Today, we speak of depression, anxiety, and all other mental health issues, and we ask the question: Are they only spiritual problems?
Now, some people would suggest that mental illnesses, such as anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder and many others like these can all be cured by simply adopting a more rigorous spiritual canon where a person prays and fasts more, reads the Bible more often and goes to church more frequently. Well, my beloved, let me make it very clear: those who would make such claims are in fact very mistaken. Such claims demonstrate that within our communities, our homes and sadly our churches as well, there are still negative perceptions and stigmas surrounding the subject of mental illness that require our immediate attention. And hopefully, the following video can be a first step to clarifying a few things surrounding the role of the Christian spiritual life and how it relates to one’s mental health.
To begin, it's important to understand some basic facts about mental health and the illnesses that threaten a large number of the people that we love. Firstly, mental illnesses can take on a variety of different forms, just like physical illnesses. We often hear people speak about mental health problems, such as anxiety disorder and depression. However, mental illnesses can also include a variety of other problems, such as schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, personality disorders, and even eating disorders. Many of these are real illnesses that require immediate attention.
However, our social and cultural norms have sometimes created a negative perception of those people who would come out and confess that they suffer from such illnesses. It is for this very reason that we, as bearers of the divine image, as Christians, we ought to come together and address this all too often neglected subject, because after all, this affects us all. And to what extent? Well, let's talk a look at some of the hard-hitting facts. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada:
- In any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem or illness.
- By the age of 40, about 50% of the population will have or have had a mental illness.
- Approximately 8% of adults will experience major depression at some time in their lives.
- Anxiety disorders affect 5% of the household population, causing mild to severe impairment. That’s 1 in 20 people.
- As for children and youth: 3.2 million of them, aged 12 to19 years old, are at risk of developing depression.
However, what's really scary is, according to studies, 49% of those who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety have never gone to see a doctor about this problem. As a matter of fact, 4 out of 5 children who need mental health services in Canada will not receive those services. Even worse yet is the fact that we neglect to realize the direct correlation that exists between mental illness and suicide. In Canada, suicide is among the leading causes of death in 15 to 24-year-old Canadians; it accounts for 24% of all the deaths of our young people. This means that 1 in 4 young people aged 15 to 24 have died because they have taken their own lives.
Now some may want to believe that because we are part of the Church and that because we are a strong faith-based community, that we are somehow immune to all this. This is false, very false. We have parents, brothers, sisters, spouses, children, young and the elderly, who can and are affected by mental health issues. And in order to remedy the situation, we begin with awareness and then we must move towards encouraging all those who are suffering to seek healing, both spiritual as well as through the medical world.
St. Paul the Apostle, when writing to the Corinthians, he explains to them that as the Church, they are one body comprised of many members. He goes on to explain that because we are all part of the same body, that when any of us suffer, we all share in that suffering. He says the following:
'' 24 ...but God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 [and] so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.'' (1 Corinthians 12:24-27)
So what we have here is a clear understanding that we ought to all take upon ourselves the responsibility to address any and all of those things that affect any member of the body of Christ. But how do we address mental illness? Again, there are those who would argue that the remedy truly is a more serious relationship with Christ. However, I would challenge such
an argument by asking the following: if anyone had a child who had a burning fever that was out of control, would they stay home, light a candle, say a prayer or would they pray on their way to the hospital emergency? Or again, would anyone feel comfortable in trying to tell a cancer patient that if they had true faith in God, that they should skip their chemotherapy sessions and spend more time at Church?
I would hope that all of you would agree that in both of these cases God does not look down at the person who is ill in shame or disgust because of their “lack of faith” for seeking medical intervention. On the contrary, the Church teaches us that part of God’s great gift to humanity is our capacity for medical advancement. Seeking medical help, by beloved, is not insulting to God.
There is, however, something to be said about the great positive impacts a strong spiritual life can have for someone who is battling a mental illness. Although the solution is not found uniquely in addressing your spiritual life, when a person strengthens their spiritual state and begins to address certain behavioural and cognitive habits, they can then grow closer to preparing the way for healing.
Let’s take, for example, anxiety disorder. Although it may have many causes, part of the treatment can be spiritual in nature. A great example of this is the Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. When this prayer's repeated prayerfully in times of anxiety, this is not only going to help a person to cope with their very real medical condition, but also, it will allow them to raise their heart to God.
Also, the Church teaches us that the sinful passions are very often tied into the illnesses that are manifest in our minds and our bodies. Depression, for instance, can sometimes be traced back to passions and spiritual illnesses such as greed, as dejection (akidía) and fear. In identifying how to battle such passions, a person who is suffering from anxiety or depression can begin to pave the way for a quicker recovery as they seek professional therapy and medical intervention. And our faith very clearly supports and encourages all those who suffer to pursue both therapy and medicinal treatment if need be. And as Christians, although we seek healing through medical practices, we trust that all true healing is granted to us from the Lord. St. Anthony... St. Anthony the Great, he speaks to this very subject and says the following:
''...it is absurd to be grateful to doctors who give us bitter and unpleasant medicines to cure our bodies, and yet to be ungrateful to God for what appears to us to be harsh, not grasping that all we encounter is for our benefit and in accordance with His providence. For knowledge of God and faith in Him is the salvation and perfection of the soul.'' (St. Anthony the Great, On the Character of Men and on the Virtuous Life: One Hundred and Seventy Texts, Text 2)
St. Anthony, he says this in his letters on the character of men and the virtuous life as part of the hundred and seventy texts that are found in the φιλοκαλία (philokalίa). St. Anthony here, he does not discourage us from seeing doctors. On the contrary, he even compares some of their undesirable methods of treatment to those that the Lord sometimes will employ with us. My beloved, let us, therefore, come to the realization that in addressing our physical and mental health, while also constantly seeking to be healthy in heart and in spirit, this is indeed part of God’s will for us as His children.
Again, as the Church, a true and living body of the Lord Jesus here on earth, we encourage all of our viewers who may be battling with any form of mental illness to speak out to a loved one, a servant of the Church, or a Spiritual Father. Know that as members of the body, we are here to support you, to pray for you, and to help you in your journey to physical, mental, and spiritual health. God bless you!
Remember, my beloved: Know your faith, live your faith, and teach your faith. And to God be all glory now and forever and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.