I’m told that there are at least a thousand ‘awareness days’ on the calendar every year which, given there are only 365 days, suggests a lot of competition. One cause I’m very happy to mention is Time to Talk Day on 6th February focusing on mental health awareness. I’m sure all of us have had family or friends who have suffered from depression, anxiety, self-harm or other mental health issues and many of us have some personal experience in this area.
Mental health issues have worsened to the point of being termed a crisis. The organisation Mind compiles a mental health report every year and the 2024 version is sobering reading. In England, it’s estimated about 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem at some point each year, and 7.8 per cent of adults in the UK felt lonely ‘always or often’. Barely a quarter of UK adults describe their mental health as ‘good’. In some communities the figures seem to be even higher. That the figures are rising is universally agreed, although the reasons why are debated. I’m no expert but I have strong suspicions that the modern lifestyle, with its stresses and disconnections from family, community and nature, must take some blame.
In the area of mental health the Christian church should be part of the answer. We have a lot going for us.
- We believe in community: we are a family bought by God’s grace through Jesus Christ. Those family bonds can, and should, enable sharing and caring.
- We accept frailty. One aspect of the modern world that contributes to mental health problems is its worship of superiority, power and success so that we are endlessly exposed to heroic figures who seem invulnerable to doubt, depression or despair. Yet precisely because to become a Christian is to admit our failings before God and to receive forgiveness in Christ, the church should be an environment in which weakness and fragility can be acknowledged without condemnation or stigma.
- We accept the complexities of the world that give rise to mental health problems. We see human beings not as mere ‘biological machines’ but beings with complex and interacting physical, mental and spiritual dimensions.
- The Bible is honest in depicting figures engaged in mental struggles. In the Old Testament we have Elijah, Jeremiah and Job. In the Psalms, David writes much that those suffering from poor mental health can identify with. So in Psalm 34:18 we have, ‘The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit’ (NIV). Other helpful psalms include Psalm 42, 43, 77, 91 and 143. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul speaks of undergoing extraordinary mental sufferings (2 Corinthians 1:8-11).
- We have a long history of a gracious and caring openness on mental health issues. In John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, the hero struggles with ‘Giant Despair’. And the great Victorian preacher C.H. Spurgeon was unashamed to talk of his agonies of depression. As early as 1907 The Salvation Army established the world’s first suicide prevention programme.
- We follow our Saviour Jesus who took upon himself the title of ‘man of sorrows’ (Isaiah 53:3 KJV) and in the darkness of Gethsemane clearly underwent the deepest of trials.
- Finally we have an ultimate hope: beyond every darkness lies Christ and an eternity from which all sorrow has been banished (Revelation 21:4).
Let me conclude with four pleas for those of us in churches:
1) Recognise that mental health issues are widespread and almost certainly occur in your church.
2) Be careful to avoid adding any stigma or shame to mental health issues. Treat such issues sensitively.
3) Seek wise teaching. Pastoral preaching and teaching can aid good mental health. The Bible’s wonderful message that we are loved by God, are forgiven by Christ and have a purpose in existence is enormously encouraging and has helped many people climb up out of the pit of despair and darkness.
4) Offer loving and wise support. We need to have ‘a passion for compassion’ and be prepared to show sympathy and support to those who are struggling with their mental health. As such issues are often worsened by social or financial pressures, they offer opportunities for the church to lighten the burden. Yet our support needs to be balanced with wisdom. Well-meaning but naïve intervention can be hurtful. Sometimes the wisest thing to do is to encourage someone who is suffering to see a trained professional. And, with sensitivity, we can all pray for healing for those who are struggling.
In what seems to be an epidemic of poor mental health we who are Christians have enormous opportunities of helping wisely, sensibly and graciously. Let’s get alongside those who are struggling. It is indeed ‘time to talk’.
J.John
Reverend Canon
