Week 31: Faith in the Midst of Mental Health

Scripture: James 2:14-17

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

Faith in the Midst of Mental Health

As a devout Christian, I grew up in a family of believers. My grandparents were the matriarch and patriarch of the family, spiritual role models and the Pastors of my church. Having my spiritual leaders so close to me, both in relationship and in proximity, was a blessing and a curse. I would go to them for advice and in return they would say, “Pray baby, fast, give it to God, faith without works is dead”. After hearing that advice countless amounts of times, I started to think that there must be something else that I can do. While I believe in prayer and fasting, and utilize those wonderful tools to communicate with God, I still believed that there was something else that I could be doing. It wasn’t until I began applying for college and thinking about a major, that I figured what that something else could be. As I sat down and looked through all majors and thought what do you want to do with your life Yasmin? I pondered on that question and it was in that moment that I received the revelation; faith is prayer and fasting, works is therapy; and as a result became a therapist.

            July is National Mental Health Awareness month and s many African Americans have Mental Health symptoms. Mental Health is a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being. According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population. Common mental health disorders among African Americans include: Major depression, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Suicide, among young African American men, and Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), due to unfortunate, but obvious reasons. African Americans may be unwilling to discuss mental health issues and seek treatment because of the shame and stigma associated with mental health disorders. Only about one-quarter of African Americans seek mental health care, compared to 40% of whites due to misdiagnosis, and socio-economic factors (In 2012, 19% of African Americans had no form of health insurance.) These statistics may seem daunting; but it’s reflective to how we take care of our mental and emotional health in the African American Community.

In the text noted above, James reminds us that faith by itself without works is dead. You can’t expect for something to happen by not activating your faith with works. Growing up in the black church I saw many individuals getting delivered. Now the process of deliverance is different for everyone, but journey with me if you will. On any given Friday or Sunday at my home church there would be males and females laid out (mostly at the altar), with a white sheet covering their exposed body parts, a plastic bag for foaming and spit, also known as sinful phlegm, and an accountability partner praying alongside of you. I’ve been in a powerful worship experience before where I too was crying out to God for his healing deliverance. You may be asking, what is deliverance? It is the process in which one turns away from unhealthy behaviors that will not get us into the Kingdom of God. I was waiting for God to deliver me, but I didn’t continue doing the things that would aid in my deliverance such as praying regularly and reading my word to name a few. However, I later became disappointed in God and myself when my unwanted behaviors didn’t disappear. James gives a reality check during this passage as he talks about the importance of having some action behind faith. He points out that faith alone cannot save you. For example, a student can have faith that God will help them receive a passing grade on a test, but if they don’t study. Would faith alone help them pass their test? Or you want to lose weight, don’t exercise, eat poorly, and expect the pounds to disappear.

            I want us as people to have this same energy when it comes to mental health. Asking for help in the different areas in your life doesn’t make you crazy. It’s make you wise to know that you need help with a specific issue. This issue can include but aren’t limited to:

·         Alcohol/Substance Abuse

·         Alcohol/Substance Dependence

·         Anxiety Disorders

·         Adult Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD)

·         Bipolar Disorder

·         Major Depressive Episode

·         Hypomanic Episode

·         Manic Episode

·         Mixed Specifier (Formerly Mixed Episode)

·         Depression

·         Eating Disorders

·         Generalized Anxiety Disorder

·         Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

·         Opioid Use Disorder Symptoms

·         Panic Disorder

·         Postpartum Depression

·         Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

·         Schizophrenia

·         Schizophrenia Education Guide

·         Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD, see Depressive Disorder with Seasonal Pattern)

·         Social Anxiety Phobia

Some of these disorders develop from chemical imbalances while others are developed from long-term stress, unresolved trauma, grief, marital issues, familial problems, excessive worries, divorce, homelessness, insecurities/low-self-esteem, socioeconomic factors, and other things that you can consult a therapist about before symptoms are exacerbated and become more serious. As long as you have faith the size of a mustard seed and are actively working through it, God can help you, but you have to be willing to receive the help that God sends.

            Second thing the text teaches us is that not only should we have faith with works, we as individuals should help others who are in need. Now in my experience we view help as feeding and clothing people which is great because homelessness is a risk factor for mental health. And statistically, 40% of the homeless population is made up of African Americans. The works in working through your mental health issues may very be a therapist. I’ve come into contact with many individuals who were taught “what happens in this house stays in this house.” One classic example of this, hypothetically speaking is being raped by someone inside the house and later experienced depression due to feeling unloved, unwanted, and believed the rape was “their fault.” And like most folks in the Black/minority community, the family goes to church for cleansing, healing, renewal, so on and so forth. While all of that is great, why is it that we make excuses when taking care of our mental and emotional help?

“I don’t have the money.”- Many mental health agencies and private therapists take several insurances.

“What if people say that I have a problem?”-Well you may have a problem and that’s okay.

My personal favorite is, “Why do I need to see a therapist? God will supply all my needs according to his riches in Christ Glory.”- Absolutely correct! God also created physicians which you see when you are physically sick. You go to the gastroenterologist for stomach pain, podiatrist for your feet, and the list goes on. But when you start feeling anxious for long periods of time, depressed and isolated, you won’t go to see a therapist or psychiatrist. Makes no sense right? I hear you, “I don’t have mental illness so what can I take from this. The word says in Mark 12:31, “Jesus tells us to “love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love your brother and sisters with mental health as yourself. Be respectful, don’t contribute to the stigma, be a helping hand, a listening ear, refer them to services that would help them, and continue encouraging them to pray, fast, and engage in other faith-based activities as it really is an amazing way to reduce mental health symptoms. Many African Americans utilize church as a major coping skill and receive great strength from being around people who has the same beliefs, yet they suffer in silence.  Pastors & Ministers:  Develop a Mental Health Ministry if you don’t already have one. Go into the community and see how you can help individuals in need and stop expecting them to come to YOU. Speak about mental health in your sermons and have workshops on mental health and trauma to reduce the stigma and promote awareness and comfort ability. 

Although one in five people have mental illness, many people keep it a secret because the conversation never came up or fear of what others think. Or they may not even know because they believe that back pain and lack of sleep is normal when actually it could be symptoms of depression. Your job is to encourage your family, friends, and community to seek help when they know and or have an idea that they have a mental health issue.  I believe that James was trying to tell people in this passage to help their brethren with faith as well as action. I saw this specifically through the lens of individuals battling with mental illness.

By: Yasmin D. Philor, R-DMT