All your anxiety

All your anxiety, all your care,
Bring to the Mercy Seat,
Leave it there …

by Bruce Redman

I

‘m someone who believes in salvation and in divine transformation. A person who accepts Christ can become “a new creation”. But what about people who suffer with mental illness?

I recently met a wonderful woman at a corps who has an extraordinary ministry with kids, but she suffers from bi-polar (”manic depression” in the old money). Margaret is a faithful salvation soldier, who with the help of daily medication is a fully functioning person. One thing still troubles her deeply. Her previous corps officer had decided that her problem was actually demon possession and he and some concerned others went to no end of trying to cast those darned things out of her.

She sincerely and faithfully did as her officer commanded and stopped taking her medication, believing that the “demons were expelled”. Of course the inevitable happened and she ended up in a psychiatric ward. She is now back on track, in a new corps setting and being encouraged to work through her feelings of inadequacy, shame and guilt with another officer who is much more enlightened and empathetic.

According to Federal Health Dept statistics, around 20% of Australians (1 in 5) will suffer from mental illness at some time during their life. Those stats are pretty consistent across the western world where it is generally agreed that mental illness is at epidemic proportions. Whether it’s the debilitation of depression or anxiety, eating disorders, compulsions, addictions, personality disorders or psychoses, these illnesses are now commonplace in our families, our neighbourhoods, our SA social centres and corps.

Unfortunately most of us have not caught up with the seriousness and diversity of this situation or some people attempt to ignore it. If someone is brave enough to confess their struggle with something like depression from the platform, there are often a lot of heads down and feet shuffling rather than genuine empathy and celebration in the victory of someone overcoming such a debilitating problem with God’s help, medication and counselling. Sometimes it seems to be an assumption that something like that could never be a problem for a “good Christian” walking the holy road.

This situation is even worse when it’s an officer! Problems like depression abound and are now quietly decimating the ranks. Wouldn’t it be better if they were encouraged to work through their problems and be able to stay around as a “wounded healer” with a firsthand awareness for their flock?

About a decade ago we were ashamed to note that Australia had the world’s worst suicide rate amongst young men. This was usually in a rural setting where support was minimal and hope was small as drought ravaged the land and stock, other youngsters had fled to the city and there was always a gun or car handy with which to kill oneself.

This last week I was pleased to note that ten years down the track those rates have halved. This has been shown to be the direct result of telephone and on-line counselling services who lend an empathetic ear at the most crucial time. Support connections are made with counsellors, medicos and peer groups and it works! How much better and sustaining would that be with the addition of a faith in Jesus Christ?

Mental illness is with us to stay and all indications are that it will continue to increase as life becomes increasingly stressful. We have to get with the program people! Let’s get educated and skilled up in our counselling and actively reject the stigma that we have allowed mental illness to be in the past.

Writer: Bruce Redman is an Australian film and television professional, radio broadcaster and university lecturer in journalism and communication. He attends Carina Corps and is a lifelong Salvo with a mission heart.

6 Comments to All your anxiety

1. Bruce:

   Thoughtful and full of the right amount of nuance. Thanks!

   I hope though, that no reader misses what you had to say about the diversity of experience with mental illness…and treatment. A couple things 1) the experience of living in chronic, hopeless or even even what should be transitory poverty can itself put people into funks that are difficult to dig out of 2) as with any other form of medical treatment, treatment of mental illness can be hit-and-miss and require compliance and advocacy to get it right. what I’m saying is that we shouldn’t swing the pendulum to “keep doing what you’re doing” in terms of people taking their meds and leaving them with on their own all the rest of their suffering just becuase they’re easier to deal with.

   Andrea
Andrea614Regent on June 23rd, 2009

2. I have often wondered how humanity dealt with issues like mental illness, chronic fatigue syndrome, additions, etc. in times when documentation (the stories we read, hear, watch on video, etc. now) was less accessible.

   You pointed out that a well intentioned (we’ll assume) group thought that she was demon possessed.

   SIDE NOTE: I’m a theatrical magician by trade and while on tour years ago, I was told of a first hand account where the illusionist was performing a levitation effect (he was in the air with no possible earthly means of support as the audience saw it)… and a well meaning Christian stood up and tried to cast the demon out of him. Needless to say… he didn’t stop levitating and this person finally stopped calling out and left quietly.

   This story (and your insights above) show a need to continue to seek understanding through all the days of our lives. There are things that we simply do NOT know without a professional’s insight.

   On the subject of mental health… I agree… the numbers seem alarming. I also agree… we need to reach out in love to those in need… even those needs that are much harder to understand / acknowledge.

   Good thoughts… THANKS!!

   imMEDIAtely yours,

   Errin Hogan
Errin Hogan on June 23rd, 2009

3. Hi Bruce,

   Great article. It resonates on a number of levels with me. I have also spent time working in those help line places and drop-in centres (and have worked through my own ‘mental illnesses’ and helped others to do so as well). Those stats you quote I would say are on the conservative side (quite strongly). I would also question the use of the term ‘epidemic’ as I don’t think what we see is anything new. It has just been recognised and named. Erin hit the nail on the head with the question ‘what did they do before…?’ I would suggest it has always been there, at the same levels it is now, just never recognised or mis-diagnosed (the classic is the old diagnosis - originating in France I believe - of women being diagnosed as ‘hysterical’).

   Medication is wonderfull - so long as on-going counselling and support is given. Most doctors realise this, and set up counselling etc. for the individual. Bear in mind, Mental illnesses can be caused by purely biological conditions (permanently unballanced blood/brain chemistry, physical illnesses such as tumours etc) and/or physiological conditions, such as poverty, hardship, war, abuse, loneliness etc. In giving counsel, we need to be carefull what counsel we give. As you said, there are those who give counsel that is right off the scale and damaging. But even more moderate church people can be damaging. In my previous work, I’ve had to advise people to leave the church for a period in order to find healing, as much of the ’cause’ if you like, of their mental illness (that which wasn’t biological) was from the church. I suppose the bottom line is, unless we really know what we’re talking about (I might add on any topic), leave it to the professionals, despite how uneasy it makes us feel and how much it might go against our orthodoxy and challenge us to change it.

   In answer to Errin’s question about what it was like before medication and our current understanding, I would say it was pretty bad. The suicide and homicide rates were extreme. Life was extruciatingly miserable - just look at the ‘asylums’ that were full of mental patients in the most appalling conditions. Those that ‘muddled through it’ often lived an extremely reactionary life. By this I mean they often became detached from loved ones, single minded etc. Some became extremely hard and violent (even murderous), others bordered almost on becoming a fanatical campainer. There is evidence to suggest that our own William Booth suffered greatly from Bi-polar disorder, and his single mindedness and near fanatacism might be a reaction to it. Certainly, it would explain why people who knew him personally said he was one of the most difficult and demanding men to be around. Other greats in history are the same. Einstein is said to have suffered bouts of severe depression. There are many others which I can’t think of off the top of my head.

   Mental illness hits all people of all intelects, and in very different ways. Its’ symptoms are alomst as individual to the people it strikes. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. It is something that very much needs to be left to the professionals, and those of us who aren’t, all we can do is be supportive and not interfere with their treatment.

   Yours in Christ,
   Graeme.
Graeme Randall on June 23rd, 2009

4. Thankyou for a thoughtful piece. I particularly agree with “the victory of someone overcoming such a debilitating problem with God’s help, medication and counselling. Sometimes it seems to be an assumption that something like that could never be a problem for a “good Christian” walking the holy road.” I struggled for many years with this debilitation and hospital, counselling and medication have all been necessary as well as, I hope, striving to be a good Christian.I have met christians who are horrified that I cannot heal with my faith alone, that somehow I am not a good christian because of this illness.

   One of my counsellors once said - walk around all day with a big white bandage round your head and suddenly you will get lots of support and understanding. Sad but true!!

   Eleanor
eleanor stoneham on June 24th, 2009

5. Thanks for those thoughts folks. This one is a hornet’s nest and I don’t pretend that such a short piece can provide a lot of solutions. I only hope to open up the discussion by smacking that hornet’s nest with a baseball bat.

   As you have been saying, mental illness has been around for a longtime and is as individual as each human being experiencing it. I too think that the stats are conservative but they are what they are for now.

   Let’s keep sharing - this is vital stuff!
Bruce Redman on June 24th, 2009

6. This whole argument is redundant and shows that even liberal-minded salvos have missed the point. I can’t believe in modern times that anyone could possibly doubt whether someone with a mental illness could possibly be a saved Christian or a “new creation”.
   It really begs the question as to what “accepting Christ” really means….and i think the more we proclaim and boast of having “accepting Christ” - the less is the case.

   “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…”
Ben36 on June 25th, 2009

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