Christianity and Mental Illness.
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This is such an interesting topic.
I've engaged with a wide variety of Christians who have had mental illness: bi-polar, schizophrenia etc.
My problem is this: although each person exhibited unusual behavior, when questioned about the behavior they did not acknowledge it was due to illness. They never told me! I always had to find out from someone else.
Yes, there is a stigma attached to mental illness. No one wants to be judged or ostracized.
But here is the rub, if you know you have mental illness and you know that illness may be resulting in behavior that is destructive to yourself or others, you need to speak up! (Yes, I understand the sick person may not realize it, but I'm talking about those who do know they are sick- of which there are many)
Otherwise it creates situations where people are confused, hurt and eventually estranged. So risk rejection and tell people! People who truly care about you will stand with you and help you through your difficult times and can help with damage control.
What happened to your friend, Seoulsearch, is just plain wrong. Regardless of the sickness behind it, her mother needed help and her daughter need protection. Where was the medical establishment? Where were the other adults? So frustrating.
I often wonder if doctors tell their patients how important it is to own their symptoms and how to seek help if they become destructive or if the medical community is just dropping the ball.
But ultimately I think if someone has a mental illness and is aware of it, the onus is on them to protect themselves and others by providing the truth.
I've engaged with a wide variety of Christians who have had mental illness: bi-polar, schizophrenia etc.
My problem is this: although each person exhibited unusual behavior, when questioned about the behavior they did not acknowledge it was due to illness. They never told me! I always had to find out from someone else.
Yes, there is a stigma attached to mental illness. No one wants to be judged or ostracized.
But here is the rub, if you know you have mental illness and you know that illness may be resulting in behavior that is destructive to yourself or others, you need to speak up! (Yes, I understand the sick person may not realize it, but I'm talking about those who do know they are sick- of which there are many)
Otherwise it creates situations where people are confused, hurt and eventually estranged. So risk rejection and tell people! People who truly care about you will stand with you and help you through your difficult times and can help with damage control.
What happened to your friend, Seoulsearch, is just plain wrong. Regardless of the sickness behind it, her mother needed help and her daughter need protection. Where was the medical establishment? Where were the other adults? So frustrating.
I often wonder if doctors tell their patients how important it is to own their symptoms and how to seek help if they become destructive or if the medical community is just dropping the ball.
But ultimately I think if someone has a mental illness and is aware of it, the onus is on them to protect themselves and others by providing the truth.
L
Praise God that you have the peace of Jesus. We have many blessings HEALTH, TRUTH, LOVE, HOPE, and most importantly JESUS. This thread made me examine my heart and I am so thankful to have the truth live in me.
1st -- We know that a person is a CHRISTIAN by their love. Not by what they claim from their mouth, but what they do... we can identify an authentic believer by the fruit of the spirit. Demons are real and they will bring about destruction and as I hear about the people who have hurt people physically in the name of God....I know it is not my Lord but it is the destroyer.
2nd) In this world, I would say that there are only two major groups believers and non-believers. There may be people who are believers and suffer with mental health issues, but a believer knows Christ. Pray for these people, your interest in this subject is God tugging your heart and asking you to share compassion. Be aware that demons are real and someone who claims to be a Christian should be recognized by the fruit of their spirit, not by what they claim.
Share the gospel, pray for non-believers to have the Holy Spirit enter them and transform their lives....MOST IMPORTANTLY...show LOVE....
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8.
1st -- We know that a person is a CHRISTIAN by their love. Not by what they claim from their mouth, but what they do... we can identify an authentic believer by the fruit of the spirit. Demons are real and they will bring about destruction and as I hear about the people who have hurt people physically in the name of God....I know it is not my Lord but it is the destroyer.
2nd) In this world, I would say that there are only two major groups believers and non-believers. There may be people who are believers and suffer with mental health issues, but a believer knows Christ. Pray for these people, your interest in this subject is God tugging your heart and asking you to share compassion. Be aware that demons are real and someone who claims to be a Christian should be recognized by the fruit of their spirit, not by what they claim.
Share the gospel, pray for non-believers to have the Holy Spirit enter them and transform their lives....MOST IMPORTANTLY...show LOVE....
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8.
U
I can't find any correlation whatsoever between these types of mental illness and single people. Not sure how you formed that connection. Seems you've had interactions with these people, but are just assuming being single has anything to do with it. People who victimize find easy targets, no matter their dating or marital status.
Usually I think Conversations are like a game a pool, theoretically where the ball is can be traced back to where it originally started. But in the case of this post, I am completely at a loss.
I can't find any correlation between mental illness and Unicorns in this Conversation. I don't know how that connection came into being. It seems you've had interactions with Unicorns, but I'm assuming that seeing Unicorns has something to do with it. People who Victimize Unicorns find that they are easy Targets, no matter their Dating or Marital status.
I can't find any correlation between mental illness and Unicorns in this Conversation. I don't know how that connection came into being. It seems you've had interactions with Unicorns, but I'm assuming that seeing Unicorns has something to do with it. People who Victimize Unicorns find that they are easy Targets, no matter their Dating or Marital status.
K
Yeah that's why I said that I don't know if they sincerely think that they aren't wrong (because their mental disorder blinds them) or they just don't wanna change, knowing very well that they are wrong. Maybe it can be both, I don't know.
You could say we all have some level of craziness. One of my biggest fears when I entered my teenage years was becoming like my mother. Don't get me wrong, I love her, and there are things I value from her that I could learn. I would be lying if I said I've never had my share of ''anormal'' reactions. I used to be depressed, and now I realize I was slowing walking towards a path of no-return. I was afraid of my future. I was living and thinking on survival mode, trying to escape the danger but had no clue of where and when I would find solid and safe ground.
I am so thankful that God redeemed me, and that along with my heart, restored my mental stability. Anyways, thanks for this thread Kim
it makes me think, and pray..
You could say we all have some level of craziness. One of my biggest fears when I entered my teenage years was becoming like my mother. Don't get me wrong, I love her, and there are things I value from her that I could learn. I would be lying if I said I've never had my share of ''anormal'' reactions. I used to be depressed, and now I realize I was slowing walking towards a path of no-return. I was afraid of my future. I was living and thinking on survival mode, trying to escape the danger but had no clue of where and when I would find solid and safe ground.
I am so thankful that God redeemed me, and that along with my heart, restored my mental stability. Anyways, thanks for this thread Kim
it makes me think, and pray..
Liamson makes a good point, and I would say the vast majority of the religious fanatics on this site fall into the Personality Disorder line up out of the DSM IV-TR. People who are Bipolor, who have Major Depression or Dysthymia (general depression) suffer from mood disorders. People with personality disorders (Narcissistic, Borderline, Histrionic, Schizoid, and Schizotypal) are the ranters, ravers, religious zealots, cult leaders, etc. However, not every religious zealot can be diagnosed with a personality disorder. They may have tendencies, but not a "full blown" disorder.
In my opinion, most of the ranters on this site (the you're going to hell! and God hates _________ about you! etc) simply suffer from a huge source of pride. They're right and you're wrong. They don't want to admit that God is bigger then their box. So they bully you into a) backing down or b) shutting up. They then think they "won" or have "proven their point" because you've stopped engaging them. Now, if they truly thought about their actions they would realize that they were sinning just like everyone else. However, it's their pride and narcissism which prevents their realization.
When it comes down to it we were all broken in The Fall. We're all sinners. We're all sick. We all have huge hang ups, pain, and doubt. Some people just show their fractures more than others.
The two witnesses in Revelation - they appear during the Great Tribulation and witness in Jerusalem for 1,260 days.
Back in 2010, I knew a guy in the church I formerly attended who was visibly older than the rest of us, but hung around the late 20s-early 30s crowd, and was always talking about the "international conglomerate" he was building. Every time we'd see him, he was talking about how his company was gearing up and getting off the ground soon.
He was also homeless, and his clothing wasn't the cleanest, but we'd accepted him and learned to take him in stride.
I once ran into him and a woman he'd introduced as his head of human resources, and he offered me a job. I smiled and politely turned him down and wished him well.
Not long after, he disappeared and stopped coming around. Sometime in the summer/fall of 2011, I learned why.
He'd enticed a woman from the church with a job offer, and she'd left her employer to come and work for him. She learned after that that there was no company outside of a MySpace page, and no job; and she went to the church leadership.
After it was clear that he wasn't repentant and couldn't be reasoned with, the leadership had asked him to leave.
Every so often I still see an occasional Facebook posting from him about how his international conglomerate's excited to be launching yet another product line.
Back in 2010, I knew a guy in the church I formerly attended who was visibly older than the rest of us, but hung around the late 20s-early 30s crowd, and was always talking about the "international conglomerate" he was building. Every time we'd see him, he was talking about how his company was gearing up and getting off the ground soon.
He was also homeless, and his clothing wasn't the cleanest, but we'd accepted him and learned to take him in stride.
I once ran into him and a woman he'd introduced as his head of human resources, and he offered me a job. I smiled and politely turned him down and wished him well.
Not long after, he disappeared and stopped coming around. Sometime in the summer/fall of 2011, I learned why.
He'd enticed a woman from the church with a job offer, and she'd left her employer to come and work for him. She learned after that that there was no company outside of a MySpace page, and no job; and she went to the church leadership.
After it was clear that he wasn't repentant and couldn't be reasoned with, the leadership had asked him to leave.
Every so often I still see an occasional Facebook posting from him about how his international conglomerate's excited to be launching yet another product line.
S
I have my own unique story of Christianity & Mental Illness. For a few of you I would be willing to discuss this if it held interest. For most of you, you are an unknown to me who I do not trust and therefore will not trot this out. I will provide you with this much, however, I did my best to make "In sickness and in health" include mental health, but the situation had its own undoing.