Is there a greater epidemic impacting our families, our community, more than mental health?
Studies show that 1-in-4 Ohioans experienced mental illness last year.
There are 1.3 million adults in our state struggling with substance use. Cost of care and a shortage of mental health professionals mean many receive no care. These are our kids. These are our families. These are our friends. These … might include you.
The Psalmist cries out in Psalm 69: “Lord, in your great love, answer me!” The despair is real. So is the shame. The feeling of being an outcast. Of feeling trapped, living in bonds with no way out.
The prophet Jeremiah “hears the whispering of many. Terror on every side!” (Jer 20:10)
These passages sound to me like a cry of those in our midst who are bullied. Who struggle with self-esteem. Who hear the whispers, the voices, that cause them to second-guess their worthiness. Who struggle to get out of bed in the morning because life seems empty. Who, perhaps, because of a mental health condition, feel that God, and others, are distant.
It’s OK to not be OK. Depression and anxiety are a part of the human condition. Not created by God, but a result of our fallen nature.
Scripture puts words to it. There are 52 psalms in the Bible with similar laments. It’s not to be dismissed or denied. And yet it remains hidden. Because unlike a physical condition like a broken leg or bad cut, we don’t see it. Those who don’t experience it often don’t understand. And the stigma surrounding mental health lingers.
A friend who works for the local Mental Health Board told me how she remembers when she was growing up that family members wouldn’t talk about the “C-word.” If someone had cancer, that was all “hush, hush.” The stigma attached to mental illness causes many to hide the severity of their symptoms from loved ones. Stigma is the single greatest barrier to people getting treatment.
Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding mental health can extend to our faith life. Many stop coming to Church due to the stigma. We think, “I should be able to pray my way out of this funk,” as if someone could just pray their way out of their asthma or diabetes. “My depression is a sign of spiritual weakness. If only I would pray more, trust more, that would fix everything.” So we don’t seek help.
But mental illness is neither a moral failure nor a character defect. To suffer from a psychiatric disorder is not a sign of insufficient faith. On the flip side, just because someone is a faithful, devout Catholic does not make you any less immune to mental illness.
Dr. Aaron Kheriaty writes in his book, The Catholic Guide to Depression, that these diseases often come from neurobiological factors outside of one’s control or devastating life experiences. But for those in the midst of depression, it can become increasingly difficult to pray, to maintain an awareness of the presence of God, to act with charity toward others and to trust in God. The lack of motivation and the inability to experience pleasure in any activity may lead a person to feel that prayer and good works are not worthwhile or to feel that God has abandoned them.
But that can’t be further from the truth. Back to Jeremiah. “O Lord of hosts, you who test the just, who probe the mind and heart.” God probes the mind, and the heart. Our mental condition, and our faith. And God cares! Jesus reminds us, “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs on your head are counted. So do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matt: 10: 29-31)
You are worth so much to God that Jesus came to die on the cross for you. In fact, Jesus redeemed all of humanity and all of the human condition. Jesus even redeemed depression on the cross.
Because you know Christ’s Passion was just not a physical torture. It was also a mental torture. Jesus experienced the same feelings of abandonment. The agony. The sorrow. Jesus was never clinically depressed. But He knows the symptoms all too well. His divine and human perfection made him capable of entering the depths of human darkness more profoundly than anyone else.
Even in our mental health conditions, Jesus is with us. He will speak to us in that darkness. And it’s possible for us to attach our suffering to His so that He can redeem it. It doesn’t have to be for nothing.
Dr. Kheriaty says that depression need not utterly overwhelm those who are united to Jesus. Instead of separation from God, suffering can become a vehicle by which one is brought into deep intimacy with him.
Indeed, it was for some of our canonized saints who clearly suffered from mental illness in times before modern methods could diagnose and help their cases.
St. Therese of Lisieux likely had an anxiety disorder. But that struggle was the basis for her “Little Way” that earned her the title of Doctor of the Church.
St. Oscar Romero had OCD but fought through it to become an archbishop who was martyred while advocating the rights of the oppressed.
St. Benedict Joseph Labre was a 17th century homeless man who was turned away by all the monasteries and religious orders because of his mental health, so he devoted his life to living among the homeless and serving them. They said of him, “He may only have had half his mind, but he gave it completely to God.”
And St. Dymphna is the patron saint of those living with a mental health condition. She was an Irish princess in the seventh century who inspired the people of Geel, Belgium, where she lived, to show compassion for those with mental illness. Over the centuries, the people of Geel invited people with mental illness to live and work in their community without any stigma or discrimination.
And this is something we are called to do. In our Church. In our community. Our family members, our co-workers, our neighbors with mental health conditions need spiritual support. And that’s why the diocese will be working this year through the Vicariate of Catholic Social Doctrine to lean into the growing field of mental health ministry.
Mental health ministry provides vital spiritual accompaniment by offering a ministry of presence in the lives of people with mental illness and helps overcome the stigma and discrimination that people living with a mental illness encounter in the Church and in human society.
Mental health ministry is not a clinical resource and is not intended to serve as a substitute for treatment or counseling with a qualified professional. But it does have a place in a person’s recovery. It recognizes the value of professional mental health care and the importance of collaboration with healthcare organizations and professionals, religious, clergy, educational institutes, counseling centers, teachers, nurses and other community organizations.
The path to mental wellness requires three things:
- People who care
- Places that are safe
- Purpose and mission
The Church can provide all of these things and help those who struggle with mental health challenges to carry their crosses. Mental health ministry provides spiritual accompaniment on the journey with others as they experience God’s presence, love and healing.
An advisory group is forming to animate mental health ministry in the Diocese of Columbus under the direction of the Vicariate for Catholic Social Doctrine. The advisory group will help establish priorities, set realistic goals and determine action steps that would make sustainable impact.
To help navigate boundaries between ministry and therapy and help us make connections to support our clergy, parishes, schools and our families. Visions of successful Catholic mental health ministries that are inspiring us include those taking place through the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, the Diocese of Phoenix and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
If you are interested in learning more about mental health ministry, visit https://forms.office.com/r/BW7SUwFBcR to take our interest survey or contact Deacon Dave Bezusko at dbezusko@columbuscatholic.org.
And if you are struggling with a mental health condition, do not be afraid. Do not be afraid to seek or to continue treatment. May we know in our hearts that God cares. And is objectively here. Present with us. Whether we FEEL it or not. God probes the mind and heart. In His great love, He will answer us.