A recent video caught my attention over the past week. It was a discussion between the pastor of Saddleback Church in the U.S. and the host of EWTN's the World Over Live, Raymond Arroyo. In this short discussion Warren was asked about his church's initiative to combat mental health. After the tragic death of his son to suicide (see more here) Warren was contacted by, in his estimate, about ten thousand people describing their own, or others' struggles with mental illness.
This set off a light in Warren's and his wife's mind, realising that their struggles aren't just their own, but are much bigger than them. They decided to call for a discussion within the Saddleback church in the hope that others might want to get on board. Since then, dialogue has skyrocketed!
This is what we want not only in the wider community, but in the faith community too. When you realise that mental health is a real illness (synonymous to illnesses that are medical in nature) and has a face in about one out of every five people you meet at one point or another in their lives, you are better equipped to understand their plight.
We have to start the conversation on mental illness! We have to try and reduce the stigma in however way we can. Warren says that when we have liver damage and take a pill for that, there's no stigma. Same with most other illnesses we find ourselves with - no, or little stigma.
It reminds me of reading a posting by somebody I know on social media suffering from a mental illness where she asks, "If someone came to your door telling you they got cancer, you'll do all you can to help them. Can I ask you, what the hell is so different with a mental illness?"
That's the question.
It's not a matter of saying, "It's okay" or "It'll get better" or something in between. As Warren tells us, "Telling a bird with a broken wind that all it needs to do is believe it can fly" is very similar to this attitude.
It's not just about positive thinking. Not just about a good attitude. When our neural pathways within our brain are broken we need something deeper than a good attitude.
To better tackle mental health we have to look at it holistically. We have to look at it in its physical constitutes; its relational aspects. We have to understand its biology and its spirituality!
There's a whole lot more to negative mental health than attention seeking. It's something we as a society are inclined to act towards a greater elucidation.
See this super cool TIME article that shows Warren's call to arms for Christians against mental illness.
Image retrieved from:
http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/watchwomanonthewall/files/2013/04/Rick-Warren-on-Time.jpg
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