What if the Church Embraced Mental Illness?

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Naomi Judd is on my mind....

I was truly saddened to read of her death, which was attributed to mental illness.

Why is it that we are so afraid to talk about "mental illness?" In our humanity we are afflicted with so many things: heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure.............and yes, mental illness.

There are those, even in my own annual conference, who have looked on mental illness as some kind of unspeakable flaw, as if those of us who have depression or other problems are somehow morally deficient. After all, just "snap out of it." One staff-parish chair at one congregation will remain nameless. Why do we treat this topic as something "unspeakable?"

If we read the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuals we come face to face with aspects of our humanity that are difficult to understand. Some of the illnesses in DSM 5 are hard to cope with.

The current "show trial" between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has pointed to various kinds of mental health struggles, drug dependence, personality disorders, which cannot be treated by medication by the way.

I have had parishioners with schizophrenia and also bi-polar illness. Some of us flee from those who are harmed by such conditions.

Some who afflicted by some of the illnesses in DSM 5 are potentially dangerous. But, depression is the "common cold" of mental illness. As I've studied, been through therapy one on one and in group, done a lot of Clinical Pastoral Education, studied in spiritual formation, I have come to the conclusion that there are many in our nation who have suffered various kinds of traumas, often in our homes, which have deeply scarred us, damaging the vulnerable child in all of us, found in the depths, protected by layers of coping mechanisms. When I see depression, I look for trauma.

Trauma. Its everywhere. When I read "The Body Keeps the Score," by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., it opened my eyes to the prevalence of damage to us, emotionally, physically, and sexually. I'm also aware that some of this damage is the result of family members who are alcoholics, men and women with deep emotional scars who have "self-medicated" using alcohol.

There is the old saying: "First, the man (woman) takes a drink. Then the drink takes a drink. And then, drink takes the man (woman.)

Let me run an idea by you. What would happen if the Church of Jesus Christ in our search for "holiness" would come to embrace the "least of these," those who are damaged and hurt rather than pretending that the rest of us are somehow better than "they" are?

Jesus fed the hungry, healed the sick and cast out "demons." Can we not do the same? The first thing we need to do is to embrace our own "demons" and love them. Then we might be able to love others who are imperfect, just as we are.

I know that the GMC and UMC split is taking place. In my training in the UMC I was "taught" to recognize my own humanity. Nothing "human" should be turned away from. That doesn't mean we should allow those who are violent to harm themselves or others.

But, under the layers of "madness" is a small child who has been disfigured by others who have projected their own inner destructiveness on children, and women, and yes, men.

Read the book "Proverbs of Ashes" by Rita Nakashima-Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker. It's an eye-opener. If we can connect with God's deep love in Christ, we might be able to connect with our kindred who are so, so wounded.

After all, Jesus did those things and said that we would do things greater than he. Maybe, if we understand the Church to be a body of believers, wounded, broken, human rather than the buildings we inhabit on Sundays, our Teacher's deep, deep love would expand and the Rule or Kingdom of God would grow exponentially.

My thoughts on this Monday, May 2, 2022.

Your brother, Chris

The Rev. Chris Madison is a retired clergy member of the Indiana Annual Conference and a former chaplain at Franciscan Health. This post is republished with permission from his Facebook page. To republish this content elsewhere, please contact the author.