Is Misperception Worsening the Malady?
I need to start here, with a disclaimer: “Don’t hear what I’m NOT saying!”
This is a weighty question and I would resist a broad-stroke response to this. Different Churches look at psychological illness differently. There are some, especially in the West that are very perceptive and understanding. The urban churches in India are trying hard to grapple with this (which is a big relief for most sufferers). But there are miles to go, for some churches. According to a LifeWay research finding in America, about 50 % of Evangelical Christians who participated, felt that Bible Study and Prayer alone can reverse psychological illness and restore wellness.[1]
In an honour-shame eastern culture, psychological challenges are taboo. Shame, stigma and scandal are three words that capture in essence the common man’s outlook on psychological illness, here.
The Church is not entirely immune to this popular perception.
Here are a few commonly encountered observations;
i. The Spiritual-attack narrative
Some Churches, simplistically attribute psychological ill-health to Spiritual attack (oppression or possession by spirits and Satan)
Spiritual attack is common-talk among many Christians today and in a victimhood culture, it is a very hot-selling narrative, which is gaining easy and much dangerous ground. Anything from delayed promotions to financial loss, conflicts at work and home, physical ailments and almost everything away from the super-successful, super-sorted, super-duper Christian stereotype, could well be the Devil and his minions attacking us! Needless to say, Psychological illness, clearly tops the chart of this kind of thinking and adds another ugly burden on these ‘victims’ that are already drowning under the weight of their struggles.
As Christians, we will do well to understand that Psychological ill-health is not only a spiritual issue, it’s a natural illness from the brokenness of the whole person that ensued from the Fall.
ii. Sin – Spiritual Slackness narrative
Some Churches weigh-in heavily on ‘Personal Sins’ as the chief cause of psychological ill-health. As we have discussed elsewhere, personal unconfessed-unforgiven sin can lead to unresolved guilt and can psychologically disturb a sensitive person, leading to ill-health. While this is true, we also need to recognize that there are many sinful people, who are callous and insensitive, but not showing any signs of psychological distress. Two inferences emerge;
- First, all sinful people are not psychologically ill
- Second, all psychologically ill, are not living in unconfessed-unforgiven sin
- Third, some people, living in sin, may be prone to psychological ill-health.
Other Churches, propose ‘Spiritual Slackness’ to be the key cause. Sure enough, when spiritual guards drop down, we give a foot-hold to the enemy and sin seeps in and we could become vulnerable to attacks. So the sufferer is motivated to re-work his spiritual disciplines and rightly so. Golden advice, if the person in question is really spiritually slack. But the problem is spiritual slackness is a relative-subjective category. When we misattribute spiritual slackness to the wrong people and suggest Bible reading and prayer as antidote to one that is already actively doing so, we over-burden them, in attempting to unburden them and innocently prod them towards legalism.
When the suffering doesn’t go away through reading the Bible or prayer, the person affected may despair of his or her spiritual ability or maturity. The very thing that should provide unshakable confidence, that should strengthen our faith in Christ, becomes a source of shame if our faith isn’t “strong enough” to beat the illness. As a result, many of our Christian churches, homes, and institutions spread an aura of mistrust, guilt, and shame[1], needlessly.
iii. The hyper-faith narrative
There are some Churches that make such bad enemies of Scripture and medication. Scripture and medications/counselling are neither enemies nor mutually exclusive.[1] Scriptural authority is never challenged by the efficacy of medical science, they can co-exist after all. When one equates the use of medicines/therapy to a lack of faith, we would be adding insult to harm and inflict our own, twice over in attempting to help them.
God can instantly, miraculously right a bio-chemical imbalance in the brain. God can absolutely do the same for a broken leg, too. Yet, almost none of us hesitate to rush to the doctor, to have it fixed! There are certain psychological illnesses (ex. Bipolar disorder), that respond so well to medical treatment (amply supported by research evidence), to the point of total cure.
Scripture and medications/therapy are enemies that were never meant to be!
Some broad causes of Psychological ill-health
People in the healthcare industry have much reason to be humble. Not only is it difficult to treat various illnesses, we also struggle profoundly in the area of diagnosis and aetiology (causes). The human body is so profound and complex. So various health-illness models have been proposed and obviously they all fall short in different ways.
If physical health/illness itself is shrouded in mystery, one can imagine the amount of struggle in understanding psychological health/illness and the complex spill-overs/interactions (psycho-somatic) between both.
The bio-psycho-social model is helpful to an extent, in neatly synthesizing the potential causes and contributors to psychological illness.
i. Biological Causes
Brain chemistry, habituated neural pathways, Genetics, Glandular system, Viral/Bacterial infections, Nutritional deficiencies, Sleeplessness etc.
ii. Social Causes
Trauma, poor socialization, abusive-neglectful home life, Stress, Bereavement/Loss, Job loss, Discrimination/Bullying, Homelessness, Poverty, etc.
iii. Psychological Causes
Self-esteem, coping skills, sense of identity, chronic negative self-talk, temperament etc.
iv. Personal Choices
The consequences of sinful or foolish decisions on a spectrum from isolated bad choices with significant emotional-relational implication to addiction. [1]
v. Spiritual Causes
Sin, Excessive Guilt, Bad theology (wrong understanding of God), Spiritual attack.
vi. Combination
It’s often a complex combination and interaction of at least a few of the above.
Don’t hear what I’m not saying!
The Spiritual causes behind Psychological ill-health are not to be belittled or ignored, at all. There indeed is Biblical support for this correlation. Ephesians 6:12, clearly informs us that “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
However, we need to recognize and understand that all of the above could variably contribute in part or whole to initiate, influence, and perpetuate psychological ill-health, considering the whole gamut of causes and the wide variety of presentations.
Misperceptions and misattributions here (as everywhere) can magnify and multiply the malady and mutilate the sufferer!
As Christian Psychologist Brad Hambrick poignantly notes, “Christians who say faith-only, doctors who say medication-only, and counselors who say therapy-only are equally wrong about and equally hurtful to those who struggle with psychological illness.”
The sad reality today is that “we make it more difficult for our own” because “we struggle with how to struggle.” [1]
It’s high time we pro-actively started changing this – one life, one church – at a time.
May God help us be agents of this much needed change in this much needed space!
Credits:
[1]Towards a Christian Perspective on Mental Illness by Brad Hambrick
Charles P Joseph
Charles P Joseph is Speaker and Trainer with RZIM Life Focus Society stationed at Mumbai, India.