Depression and mental health issues have been a hot topic in our society. Many people have felt the need to make their opinions clear, but this got meet thinking about what God has to say regarding this pressing social issue.

First of all, many believe that all that mental illnesses amount to be are social issues. They believe that disorders such as depression and anxiety were socially constructed, meaning that we as a society created and formed them to what they are today. To say something like this is to say that mental health is not a health issue, but merely a social issue. Often times, people who have a hard time accepting that science and religion are intertwined claim such things as this. If someone is seeking medical help with a mental disorder, it is said that all they really need is God, and to seek something besides God is not right. Well, what about illnesses such as cancer? Should people simply pray for a miracle instead of going through chemotherapy? Perhaps the miracle itself is that God has given us people in this world such as doctors. The reason that mental health disorders are still so often separated from other illnesses is because they “can’t be seen”. Well, a mental health issue is never present without causing some sort of physical health issue. We often have evidence of the negative power that our mind can have on our bodies, but we still choose to attach a stigma to anyone who dares to be open about his or her emotional pain.

So, what does the Bible say about mental health issues? Some people claim that the topic is never addressed simply because the phrases “mental illness” and “mental disorder” cannot be found anywhere in the entire book. Well, perhaps we cannot claim that our own terms that we now use should be in a book written far before our time.

Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a good word cheers it up” (HCSB). This verse shows that God recognizes anxiety, but it also gives a solution of simply a good word. Does God say that illnesses such as anxiety and depression can be cause for further help beyond spiritual enlightenment? 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it” (HCSB). God does not tempt you beyond what you can handle, but He is also not saying that we must fight temptation on our own and without help. What is the way of escape that He is referring to? Should we be trying to escape the pain of our lives? I found this wording to be interesting because people who abuse drugs are often trying to escape their lives, but the key word here is abuse. What people do not realize about medical drugs such as pills for depression and anxiety is that these drugs are not used to escape life, but instead to renew life. This type of medicine does not mean that you are weak; it means that you are strong and ready to make a change for the better. I have always felt that we are never as strong as when we admit that we are weak.

Did anyone in the Bible deal with a mental health disorder? Yes, many people in the Bible not only experienced times of extreme depression and anxiety, but they also experienced suicidal thoughts.

Job 3:11 says, “Why was I not stillborn; why didn’t I die as I came from the womb?” (HCSB).

Jeremiah 20:14 says, “May the day I was born be cursed. May the day my mother bore me never be blessed” (HCSB).

Isaiah 53:3 says that even Jesus was “a man of suffering who knew what sickness was” (HCSB).

The story of Elijah in the book of 1 Kings is a great example of how mental health can have a physical effect on a person. In the midst of his suffering, Elijah is sent by God to rest, refuel his body with food and water, and to talk about what he has experienced with the Lord.

Mental health is not merely socially constructed, but the negative way in which we think of it has been shaped by society. If anything, the Holy Word references mental health issues and the effect that they have on us more than we are willing to in the present day. We need to be comfortable talking about the sorrow that we feel. The Bible is a book full of sorrow, but it is also a book full of joy, and one is not possible without the other. The advances of science are a scary thing for people who choose to believe that they disrupt God’s plan, but what if they are apart of God’s plan? The babies who are created with the help of a lab are just as much God’s children as the babies who are naturally conceived. The woman who beats breast cancer through chemo is not weak for turning to medicine. Whether it be therapy, medication, or just an open discussion about mental health with the people in our lives, we are not weak or turning against God for admitting that we need help. God does not give us anything that we cannot handle, but that does not mean that He is telling us to deal with it on our own behind closed doors. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it; don’t let others tell you that God wouldn’t want you to admit that you are not okay. It’s okay not to be okay.