Half of all adults will suffer from mental illness in their lifetime.
One in five children will have a mental illness by age 18.
Today, October 10, is World Mental Health Day, which works to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world.
I never thought this day would mean much to me, but it struck me this morning that this applies to me more than I'd care to admit.
Mental health and mental illness have increasingly become a taboo subject in certain societies and it's especially noticeable in the American Church. The idea of having a mental illness warrants the idea that something is wrong with you, or in some cases, has prompted the notion that you just don't have enough faith.
"Oh, you suffer from depression or anxiety? Well, you just aren't close enough to Jesus then."
That heartbreaking lie has caused more damage than those who utter it could ever realize.
If only they knew that depression doesn't mean lack of faith. This world we live in can be cruel and harsh sometimes, there's no doubt of that. My depression stemmed from a difficult home life and bullying at school. My depression grew from sitting in counseling rooms, having the therapist prescribe yet another anti-depressant medication, even though I knew it wouldn't do anything, and tossing around terms like "mentally ill" and "unstable."
My anxiety would build late at night when all the worst thoughts would arise. It's like wearing an astronaut's helmet and having water drip into it. Slowly but surely, the helmet fills, cutting off your oxygen and there's nothing you can seeminly do.
Much of my depression and anxiety did occur when my walk with Christ was nearly non-existent, but I can assure all those who think it correlates entirely with faith, even today as I'm growing closer and closer to Jesus, I still struggle.
The depression doesn't just go away. There's no medical cure for anxiety. Don't you think if there were that the problem would be gone?
Yes, Jesus is my source of joy now, but that doesn't mean my bad days don't come. That doesn't mean there aren't mornings where getting out of bed is the hardest thing to do. There are days where getting out of bed is my biggest success. There are days where every hour, every minute, I have to keeps saying "Jesus I need some help today."
Mental health needs to be a more discussed topic in the Church. It helps no one if the subject gets brushed under the rug, in fear that it will make them look weak and someone who "lacks faith." Addressing this area of health -- one that affects all other areas of health -- needs to become a priority for the Church.
Depression... anxiety... or any other mental illness doesn't equate to lack of faith. If anything, my moments of depression and anxiety bring me even closer to the love of God.
"When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken." (Psalm 34:17-20)
