Should those with mental illness be treated as shut-ins?
Question:
Dear Sir,
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ!
Sometimes, people with clinically diagnosed mental illnesses, like MDD, anxiety disorders, bipolar, etc., have episodes. They don’t want to go to church because they feel judged and misunderstood. Sadly, some of them don’t feel safe while in the church because some of their triggers happen while they are worshiping with the brethren.
Some were removed from our church membership due to failure to attend services for the reasons I’ve mentioned. I feel it is not right to remove them from the church membership because of their mental state. I see it as a lack of love, compassion, or lack of knowledge of how to deal with or take care of those members of the Church of Jesus Christ with mental illness. It reminds me of Hosea 4:6.
Can they be considered “shut in” just like those who have serious illnesses like cancer and cannot physically go to church, especially when they are having episodes? Is there any Scripture on how to treat those who have mental illnesses but love God?
Thank you! God bless!
Answer:
Physical problems cause some mental illnesses, and such should be treated. Spiritual problems, such as worry or grief, cause other mental problems. These also need to be treated, except the treatment involves counseling. While it can take time to treat a mental illness, the point is that the person needs to change to get better. People with terminal health issues are not going to get better, so people try to accommodate them as best they can during their last days on Earth. The comparison of a terminal health issue to a mental illness is not equal.
You are misapplying Hosea 4:6. God is talking about a lack of knowledge about the Law, not about a lack of understanding of other people. Understanding others is important, but this is not the verse to use. Philippians 2:3-4 would be a better passage.
Having sympathy for someone doesn't excuse sinful behavior. For example, "Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry; but when he is found, he must repay sevenfold; he must give all the substance of his house" (Proverbs 6:30-31). I can understand why a person feels driven to sin, but the sin remains wrong.
If a person gets triggered by being at worship with brethren, then effort is needed to manage and overcome those triggers. Attending worship remains a command of God (Hebrews 10:24). Avoiding the triggers only delays getting better. Isolation is not a long-term solution. At first, it is difficult, and a person might have to skip services on really bad days. However, every day is not a bad day.
Let people know if you can't make services because of a bad episode. People are not mind readers. They can't understand if they are not told anything. They can't make adjustments if they don't know your triggers. Often, people are removed from the membership roles simply because they stopped communicating. A lack of communication generally means a person doesn't want to be a part of the church. For example, if a person suffering from depression tells the elders of a church that he doesn't want to talk to anyone, they are going to accept what the person says. They won't force the issue -- they can't, it isn't polite or proper. But it also means the person won't remain in the membership role. It isn't that they don't want to help the person. The person gives them no way to offer help.
Response:
Thank you so much for your response. It helps me a lot, especially with the use of Bible passages.
May God continually guide, bless, and give you wisdom!
Respectfully yours.
