God will heal the mind and this is done by giving an individual / people the map to find their way. The current buzz is the “law of attraction” and that the universe is abundant.

I believe this stuff is true, but I go one step further and I profess that the true secret is God. With God in your life, anything is possible.

This country needs to get back to the basics: two-parent households, going back to basics in school and putting God in the center of the Universe. The greatest challenge in life is to follow God’s laws (10 commandments) and raising happy and harmonious children. Raising our young people to respect adults and their peers is essential.

It use to be that “knowledge is power”. With the Information Age providing plenty of knowledge, it is “wisdom” that is the key to one’s mental health. I believe the key is to distill the information down to a workable amount and let the subconscious mind do its thing.

There is no High like the Most High. I suffer from mental illness and I thank
God for the medicine but it was He who Delivered me from Marijuana, speed, Yoga, and Buddhism, and gave me a new heart, a God fearing Church, Victory Outreach and renewed HOPE. Amen

I am a very spiritual person and believe this is an extremely important part of life. However, "God" has never cured schizophrenia, clinical depression, bipolar disorder...and others. "God" has given human beings the intelligence to explore, research, and develop treatments and sometimes cures for the many things that afflict us. Let's remember the role of human intelligence as well as Higher Power!

“Schizophrenia” was my diagnosis, once during 1989 and again in 1991. After two lengthy hospitalizations and years on a single medication, I felt pretty “normal”. After years of doing my career, a doctor switched my diagnosis to “bipolar” in 1998. A new medicine was the answer and years went by feeling worse and worse, very little highs and mostly lows.

A new doctor, the same diagnosis, “bipolar” and many different tries at medicines. Having nothing work, I switched doctors.

Bringing time forward to 2006, there came a new doctor and with it a new diagnosis. The new diagnosis was “recurrent psychotic depression”. This was new to me and I bought into my new man-made diagnosis.

I believe my “schizophrenia” was doctor induced (the combination of 26 pills / day with the hospital environment). The “bipolar” diagnosis was a nice try, but I could not buy into it. Now, this latest “self fulfilling prophecy” was easier to relate to, but not really.

Psychosis - Wikipedia, people experiencing psychosis may report hallucinations or delusional beliefs, and may exhibit personality changes and disorganized thinking…

A delusion is commonly defined as a fixed false belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false, fanciful or derived from deception.

However, "God" has never cured schizophrenia, clinical depression, bipolar disorder...and others. This is great for debate, but I believe people can overcome and defeat these man-made diagnosis with the proper “map”.

I appreciated this article, and I’m very happy to know there’s mental health training available for ministers who want to be more effective in helping those who come to them with signs and symptoms of mental illness.
I’ve worked in the community as a social worker in the mental health and chemical dependency field since 2000, but in the early 90s, before I went to college, I experienced many painful things that could’ve been avoided had our pastor known more about mental illnesses and referred us for help sooner.
My ex-husband and I were members of a large downtown church here in Rochester and when he began experiencing serious depression alternating with severe manic symptoms we went to the pastor in charge of counseling. He helped us the best he could, but for a whole year, I believed that all we could do was continue to pray and hope for a miracle, since the focus was scriptural only and that my husband was “letting the devil influence him”. But, when my husband became increasingly abusive�"verbally, emotionally and at times physically�"I knew I had to do something to protect our two-year old son and myself. Although I knew nothing about mental illness, I finally insisted that the pastor believe me when I told him about the seriousness of my husband’s behavior and that he was a sick man and needed more than spiritual help. The pastor called Strong Hospital and that same day my husband was evaluated and admitted to a psychiatric unit where he was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder and put on medication to manage his symptoms.
My son and I had to go to counseling in the family clinic at Strong to help us deal with the trauma we experienced�"my son attended a play group for toddlers who had seen violence and I entered individual counseling. Years later, as a social worker, I was able to empathize with clients and their families due to my own experiences with the shame and guilt that individuals with mental illness and their families often feel.
Many times, our faith communities are the first places people turn to when they begin struggling with frightening symptoms that they or their loved ones are experiencing. It’s devastating when those places are ill equipped to guide us beyond just spiritual counseling, but it’s heartening to know that now many leaders in these communities are open to the idea that science and spirituality are not opposed to each other but are very dynamically interconnected.

I am diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, borderline personality, obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety disorder. I take 4 medications and have heard the pastor of my church elude to the fact that meds are not neccessary as all things are possible with God. Sometimes I feel this way from my husband as well. I believe that God did not make all people perfect and have been in enough group therapy to know this is true. It is encouraging to hear that pastors are supportive of medication. I do however resent all the implications that these problems only lie within the poor community. They are everywhere. I have only been attending church for 2 1/2 years and have overcome alchohol addiction, something I could never do with repetitive rehab and AA attendance. Meds are the key, but pray is definatley right up there. For me sometimes it can calm me when I'm on the verge of losing it.

I was so please to see that ministry and mental illness are being addressed. I have been to ministers that were extremely helpful, both with prayer and spirituality, and referrals to mental health workers, but I have also had the opposite. One of my friends had not gone to church for many years, and went to a service where the sermon was actually about love and acceptance of persons with mental illness. She was so touched that she went up to the Pastor after the service, and in tears started talking to him about her son with bipolar, and he actually backed up and stared at her with fear. She hasn't been back to any church since. This is so sad. I was startled to read the word 'poor' twice in the article. Please please remember that it is not the poor who have mental health, substance abuse, and other problems. Mental illness , and lack of insurance happen to anyone, regardless of intellect, income, age, race, or religion.. I for example have a masters degree and had a very good job, with more income than I really needed, but health insurance that did not cover mental health treatment. Once I developed PTSD after three months in a terrifying deadly situation, and then major depression, I could no longer work, lost the health insurance I did have, and was unable to get care. After being in poverty for several years, I was finally able to access the public mental health services as an indigent, and fortunately now have a Pastor who is wonderfully understanding and supportive in every way. Our congregation is blessed to have him.
Keep up the good work in this much needed area. Thank you.

Everything you say in this article is right on target. But you left out one group of people who are also suffering. Many young people are facing mental illness without the care they need because they cannot get affordable health insurance. My bipolar son is one of these. He works part-time and goes to school. He is labeled high risk by ALL private insurance companies. No medi-cal or government help because he is considered "able-bodied." Young people of all colors and creeds face this issue. They deserve empathy- just like the other underserved groups you wrote about. Do you want to help them too?

I am very pleased to read the article on ministers receiving the proper training for members of their congregation who are suffering with a mental illness. I applaud the clergy who are participating. As an African American who has major depression, I am an educator and an advocate for those who do not have a voice. Stigma keeps so many of us from receiving proper care. I suffered, untreated for many many years. I believe that ALL things work together for the good of them that love the LORD and are called according to His purpose. God allowed me to have the experience of praying and believing for my healing...but because of STIGMA, and lack of proper education...I was at a very low place in my life. Now, I believe that mental illnesses are like any other disease or disorder! If someone has diabetes, their pastor doesn't suggest that they only pray and believe God for healing. Yet, this is what happens so often in the case of mental illnesses. Mental illnesses can affect ANY MIND, ANYWHERE, AT ANYTIME! Check out the local NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and become educated through the Family to Family class (offered free of charge for 12 weeks). Also, check out the NAMI Recovery Based Support Groups for Consumers (of mental health care services) and Family members. There may be a NAMI (MAC) Multicultural Action Committee in your local area that specifically addresses the many multicultural needs of the community. STIGMA must go! "NO STIGMA, KNOW MORE, KNOW NAMI!!!"