My research into our family history suggests that depression and bipolar disorder run in our family, and I mention this not to find fault with anyone, but to declare that we would have been better off if all those affected sought early treatment. One time I brought up this subject during a testimony meeting, and a couple of people from the congregation told me about their experiences. What’s more, I knew there were even more members of the Church out there who had experienced some kind of mental disorder.

Of course, bishops without medical, psychological, or psychiatric training cannot be expected to dispense expert advice to members of their ward, but they should have access to those who are qualified to do so. Sometimes just a gentle nudge from someone a troubled member of the ward respects can make a big difference, and persuade him or her to seek professional help.

I will say in general terms that prayer is necessary to guide anyone dealing with a person struggling with mental illness. One of the greatest gifts of prayer is to gain empathy for those bound by these struggles.

One of the most difficult challenges an individual may face, is coming to grips with the reality of personal mental illness. Thankfully, I’m able to report that my bishop and other local leaders have been very sensitive and supportive as I’ve struggled to put the pieces back together over the last year+.

And yes, stay close to the church! There came a point where I could no longer function as the adult sunday school teacher in our ward. My mind simply could not pull the lesson material together. (This problem was manifest generally, not just in my calling) After almost a year without a calling – which, in my case was a prudent course – I’m now playing piano in the primary. Nothing could have been more inspired than putting me behind that piano! I love it.

There has been much controversy over the long term effects of abuse during the last couple of decades – especially with regard to the problem of memory. Many of my own questions are still unanswered and are likely to remain so. But, this much I have been learning; the fall is real, agencey is real, and above all God’s love is real. And his love can, in time, overcome the effects of the fall and the abuse of agency.

Thanks again, Jeff, for your thoughts. I don’t think that I’ve ever read anything more sincere here at T&S.

Mental illness is an illness. Most people are so afraid of it, even when training is offered, seldom is anyone willing to participate and learn. My husband is one of three mental health professionals in our stake. While each is appreciated, there is still such a lack of understanding of how they can be effective in training bishops and other leaders how to recognize the facets of the diseases and how to help individuals and families deal with the illnesses involved. Your inclusion of abuse (of all kinds) is another form of mental illness that lies hidden for generations.

I could write for days on this subject, but Renee articulated the comfort level of sharing here at T&S.

Again thank you for bringing light to this most important subject.

1) I might go even further than comparing mental illness to a physical illness. In your post, you rightly point out that we would not look down on someone who had been hit by a car, so a similar attitude of compassion and empathy should be forthcoming in the case of mental illness. Unfortunately, a “stigma” sometimes manifests itself in the case of mental illness because those wounds are invisible. It’s easy to see the cuts or bruises that result from a car wreck – not so with a variety of mental illnesses. Add to this unfavorable balance, a general ignorance about mental illness and the variety of forms it can take – from many types of chronic depression, OCD, psychological trauma, etc. All of this adds up to the fact that leaders must make a special, additional effort in order to educate themselves, detect mental illness, and “nudge” the person in question in the right direction to get help.

2) A lot of discomfort surrounding people who suffer from mental illness is due to the aberrant, seemingly irrational, or disproportionate behavior of the patient (maybe I will generically call the hypothetical person “patient” since “subject” sounds even less empathetic). A “normal” response to a patient who displays aberrent behavior is to shy away – give the person a wide berth. Unfortunately, this is often exactly opposite of what the patient needs, which is tolerance, patience, understanding, and love. You are exactly right to state that the patient may be less-responsible for his/her behavior – that it may not be their “fault.” Leaders must recognize the following Truth, that while it is true that God will not allow us to be tempted above that which we can bear, it is also true that it is possible for us, through our own bad decisions (or through the brutal actions of others before our mental and spiritual capacity has been fully developed), we can lose control of ourselves, and wind up in the power of the Adversary.

That scripture from Paul (1 Cor 10:13) must not be used to justify a judgemental attitude towards a patient that displays aberrant behavior. Quite the opposite, all members should be willing to offer increased love and understanding to a patient who seems to be the square peg in a round hole (or worse, may even be openly hostile).

3) I am particularly grateful that you raised the question about the high stress of living an LDS lifestyle being a source of increased incidence of mental illness among Latter Day Saints. This idea was published long ago by Louise Degn (sp?) as a documentary program. It was back in the 70′s/early 80′s, and was titled “Mormon Women and Depression.” I do not believe that Ms. Degn originated the idea, but only documented what may have been (and still is) a common belief.

A fellow ward member of mine is a physician who works on Hill AFB (near Ogden, Utah). Last year, he and I got into a similar discussion, and he remarked that it was his understanding that Hill AFB prescribes more Prozac or other SSRI-type anti-depressants than any other Air Force base. His conclusion was the same, that the high standards of an LDS lifestyle, colliding with the overwhelming influence of the outside world, is the cause of this increased mental illness. However, he admitted that the Prozac prescription statistics he heard were from a second-hand source, and his evidence in treating patients and prescribing Prozac was anecdotal.

I offered him my copy of “Religion, Mental Health, and the Latter Day Saints” – one of the series of books to come out of BYU (and then he was promptly deployed to South Korea for the last year). It was edited by Daniel K. Judd, and published in 1999. I also related to him some of the comments made to me by a good friend, a psychiatrist and Stake President, debunking this entire misconception.

Statistically, Latter Day Saints actually enjoy a slightly healthier level of mental health than is the norm. Interestingly, the influence of religion alone, and not specifically the LDS Church, was found to have a positive effect on the population, but generally less than that of the restored gospel itself.

What seems to happen, however, is that if there is a pre-existing condition or even just a tendency toward a mental condition, because of the large central focus the gospel occupies in the lives of the Saints, an LDS lifestyle frequently becomes the object associated with mental illness. Because the general population does not have such a “lightning-rod” attractor for the negative feelings resulting from mental illness, a simple comparison between members and non-members would superficially seem to indict involvement in the Church as the cause of the problem.

However, as we can see from the overall statistics, this is not the case.

In conclusion, I agree with your apparent assertion that Church Leaders should receive some additional training in learning to recognize and deal with mental illness. I also look forward to reading more informed responses on this critical issue.

While I suspect that the Church could provide some training about recognition of mental illness or appreciation of the potential problems without facing large liability risks, we do not want amateur psychiatrists in the bishops’ offices. Sorry to play the lawyer, but it’s what I do.

Remarks made by our Bishop to our son were some of the things he mentioned, in later counseling sessions, that led him to try and commit suicide.

Of course we don’t blame the Bishop, it wasn’t his fault, our son had many issues that led to his attempt.

I don’t know that Bishop training would have prevented his attempt, but it would be nice to feel that a properly trained Bishop wouldn’t contribute to it either.