To the Christians who believe mental illness isn't real,
To the churches who don't condone therapy,
To the people who believe we can pray mental illness away,
As a fellow Christian, I'm saying it's time to stop.
I consider myself a devoted Christian who prays every single day. But I am a former sufferer of PTSD and depression, and I can boldly say that therapy and medication saved my life. Don't get me wrong, prayer and putting my trust into Jesus played a key role as well, but it didn't fix it alone. Whenever most preachers teach on depression, it's likely to include a scripture of "trust in the lord with all your heart" or maybe "come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest" and that's great and inspirational and lovely. But what about if my brain just isn't working right and I need more? I should be able to get it without any shame or condemnation from the body of Christ.
Scripture and medication and/or counseling are not enemies. They don't keep recorded of who has the "most wins." Yet many people and churches and especially Christians believe that you must choose one over the other.
I know for a fact that the Bible is without error. It’s sufficient to guide people through the challenges of life. However, in the very sufficiency, it also reassures us that sometimes we may need external intervention. Yet over half of Christians believe that studying the bible and praying ALONE can cure depression. Let's think of it this way:
We fall down the stairs and suspect a broken leg. What do we do? As a Christian, we will pray for God to heal us. BUT, we also get our little butts in the car and go see a doctor to treat our broken leg. We don't just sit on the couch and let spiritual intervention do the work. So why don't we treat mental health the same way?. God can intervene and fix a chemical imbalance, He can do the same for a broken leg. Yet most everyone agrees there is nothing wrong with going to the doctor for the latter. Scripture and medication/therapy are not enemies and we need to stop treating them this way.
So from a fellow Christian to anyone who believes we can pray away mental health, please stop. We do a disservice to our fellow brothers and sisters of the kingdom by shaming them for getting treatment. Of course, I'm not saying not to pray or not to read your bible. Do that. Lean on Jesus. But know that if you need help, you can go get it. And this fellow Christian and former depression-sufferer supports you all the way.
