Presentation seeks to reduce negative stigma of mental health in Christian spaces

On Feb. 20, two undergraduate psychology students and their professor presented “Reducing Stigma toward Mental Illness in Christian Religious Communities” as part of APU’s annual Common Day of Learning. The lecture was hosted by students, Yvette Valenzuela and Savannah Strickland, and assistant professor William Whitney.

The presentation aimed at identifying how mental illness is recognized and treated within Christian communities, and whether Christian values are beneficial to the mentally ill. Valenzuela and Strickland presented their research while Whitney facilitated the Q&A portion after the presentation.

According to Valenzuela and Strickland, Christian communities are beneficial to people suffering with mental illness because of their emphasis on faith, treating others with kindness and a desire to live like Christ. Throughout their presentation, Valenzuela and Strickland quoted scripture alongside empirical data.

Valenzuela spoke about “imago dei,” the idea that all humans are made in the image of God. She said because of this connection to God, all people are granted inherent dignity and value regardless of their abilities, including those who suffer from mental illness.

“If the church seeks to reflect this image of God, to be the imago dei here on earth and reflect the kingdom of Heaven, we need to extend this to the mentally ill,” Valenzuela said. “We need to be with those who are experiencing oppression on the margins of society.”

Strickland agreed and pointed to the example of Jesus on the cross.

“Jesus is with people who have difficulties on the margins of society … and who are hurting,” Strickland said. “The church has a responsibility to acknowledge and seek people who are having difficulties with mental illness.”

However, according to Valenzuela and Strickland, there are still people who do not receive proper help from churches and Christian communities. They said this could be due to a lack of resources or proper understanding of mental illness in the church, as well as society at large.

Whitney gave a personal example of how the church sometimes falls short on helping those in need. He recounted a time when he was a youth leader and was approached by a boy who had been suffering with depression. According to Whitney, the boy had sought help from church pastors but had only been told to pray more and God would help him.

Whitney said this was only one example of the over-spiritualization in churches and other Christian communities that prevent people from receiving adequate help.

“Don’t get me wrong, praying is great,” Whitney said. “But it’s also helpful to get other resources. If someone was dying of cancer, we wouldn’t say, ‘Oh, just pray.’ We would say, ‘Yes, pray, but also go see the doctor.’”

The group suggested a few steps the church and other Christian communities can take to help people with mental illnesses. They said the first step is to educate pastors on the proper ways to respond to someone with mental illness, especially if they are highly distressed.

The second suggestion the group made was to support people in the church with mental illnesses. Valenzuela said one way the church can do this is by having pastors speak on their personal experiences dealing with the issue and creating a more open environment for such discussions to take place.

During the Q&A portion, one student asked why medication for certain mental illnesses is frowned upon in the church. Whitney answered that the “severity” of the mental illness is often a key factor, as people are less likely to understand the complexities of an illness like schizophrenia compared to a more common illness like depression.

“God created science,” Strickland said. “It’s important to keep that in mind. God allowed us to develop medicine to help people.”

Attendees were given time to share their own experiences and beliefs about mental illness as it applies to the church. Senior psychology major Kieran O’Neill expressed gratitude for the event because it gave her the opportunity to hear from people with different experiences than herself.

“It’s almost treated as a mind-over-matter thing. Like, ‘just pray it away,’” O’Neill said. “When you have a mental illness, it’s [treated] like a sin or you’re lacking in some area.”

O’Neill clarified that although her church is progressive in this matter, other churches can take further steps to make people with mental illnesses feel more welcome.