Do You Know Someone with a Mental Illness? Yes, you do.
Do you know someone with a mental illness?
- Depression
- Bipolar depression disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Schizophrenia
- Seasonal affective disorder
- Panic disorder
- Another mental illness
Maybe you yourself have a mental illness.
Here are some statistics from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) that might surprise you. Did you know that…
One in four adults—approximately 57.7 million Americans—experience a mental health disorder in a given year.
One in 17 lives with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder.
One in 10 children live with a serious mental or emotional disorder.
Bipolar disorder affects 5.7 million American adults, approximately 2.6 percent of the adult population per year.
Of adults using homeless services, 31 percent reported having combination of these conditions.
Despite effective treatments, there are long delays—sometimes decades—between the first onset of symptoms and when people seek and receive treatment.
Fewer than one-third of adults and one-half of children with a diagnosable mental disorder receive mental health services in a given year.
Racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to have access to mental health services and often receive a poorer quality of care.
And this doesn’t account for the millions of people who go undiagnosed—or are willing to admit—and accept—they have a mental illness.
I say all this because…
I have bipolar depression disorder.
People near and dear to me have bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, panic disorder, depression, and countless other mental illnesses. We are not statistics. Neither are the millions of people who struggle with these disorders.
Many people in the Bible experienced mental illness:
- Job (Job 3:11; 7:15)
- Moses (Numbers 11:15)
- King David (Psalms)
- Jonah (Jonah 4:3)
These Biblical heroes—they were pillars of the faith—cried out to God in their distress. And God answered them. He still answers today with:
- His Word—the Bible
- Prayer
- Comfort
- Support groups
- Counselors and therapists
- Psychiatrists
- Medicine
Before being officially diagnosed as bipolar in 2009, I lived a chaotic life—most people never would have known. But my mental life was in disarray. I managed—and even was quite successful, using my manic states to my advantage by being super-productive to the point of becoming a workaholic. Some would call that being successful; I would call it being in bondage to my own pride:
I didn’t want to get help.
I feared others would see me as weak, crazy, or even that I had committed some awful sin. I only sought help when I couldn’t manage any longer after experiencing a traumatic situation in early 2009.
I got help. And you can too. Your family and friends can get help.
Today, I live a very peaceful and joyful life—all due to God, family and friends, support groups, counselors, psychiatrists, and yes—even medicine.
In the words of Michael Fitzpatrick of NAMI: “Simply put, treatment works, if you can get it. But in America today, it is clear that many people living with mental illness are not provided with the essential treatment they need.”
Dear one, please get the treatment you need. Use all available resources—start with God and if necessary, say yes to medication.
You can do more than manage. You can have your life—the life God wants for you not only in eternity but also in the here and now.
It’s your time!
I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance. (John 10:10)
Come alongside: Which of these statistics surprised you most? Do you struggle with mental illness? Are you seeking treatment for it? Why or why not? What can you do to take that first step toward a full life? How can you help your loved one seek the help he or she needs? Please leave your comments below—and remember, you can comment anonymously if you so desire.
For more information on mental illnesses, please visit NAMI, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the National Institute of Mental Health.
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I am like Whitney
I didn’t believe it when I first heard the news early this week, but alas, it was true: Whitney Houston was dead. I tried to keep it together, but I admit: I cried–a lot. She was my favorite singer growing up. I wanted to be–and sing–like Whitney. What girl in the ’80s and ’90s didn’t?
I’m not sure how or why her life ended so soon. But as I thought about her life, I was saddened. What made it worse were comments from people who were quick to judge her and her actions.
Dear friend, please hear my heart…
- We all have issues.
- We all sin.
- Whitney was no exception.
- Neither am I.
- Neither are you.
God has used my life experiences–good and bad–to show me one life-changing Truth.
- Any person can make unhealthy choices.
- Any person can make a mistake.
- Any person can fall.
- I can be that person.
What separates my life from Whitney’s?
- The cameras.
- The tabloids.
- The news.
Her private mistakes were made public. Her unhealthy choices were publicized for the world to see. Her addictions were on the little screen and on the front pages of newspapers and magazines.
What about me? My mistakes? My unhealthy choices? My addictions? They remain mine and mine alone–hidden from view of the world, my workplace, my church, my friends, and even my family. I am no better, no worse than Whitney. It just so happens that my issues are not on display for the world to see. Nor would I want them to be.
Dear one, I don’t want to judge others. I don’t want to pick on them, jump on their failures, or criticize their faults (Matthew 7:1-6). Instead, I pray for God to have mercy on me, for I–like Whitney–am a sinner (Luke 18:9-14). I–like Whitney–need Jesus to remove the deep stain of all my sins–public and private. I need to be as clean as freshly-fallen snow (Isaiah 1:18).
We are all like Whitney. But this I know… Jesus loves Whitneys.
Come alongside… Have you been judged? Have you judged others? How do you feel when you hear that we all have issues and are all sinners? What sins do you need to confess today? Can you accept that Jesus loves you? He does, you know…
Sadness, Laughter, and Prayer
When you least expect it, I will ask you two questions. Today is one of those days.
Think about yesterday…What made you sad?
Being in a conversation with others who sought to win and not to understand.
Again, think about yesterday…What made you laugh?
Catching up with an old friend.
Present both of those to God today.
Father, thank you for yesterday. I was sad that I was alone in trying to understand those around me. Help me, God, not to seek to win but to understand where others are coming from and their points-of-view. You are the God of relationships, so I pray that you will help me to be a light with those I come in contact. I also want to thank you for the time with my friend, God. The situation was not ideal, but it was great to laugh in the middle of it all. I pray your blessings on my friend and that you would give him the gift of laughter more and more. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Now it’s your turn… Remember God wants to hear the big and the little things in our lives. If it makes us sad, He wants to hear it. If it makes us laugh, He wants to hear it too.
Come alongside.
