Suffering in Silence

Timothy Mulder

Description

One third of church members are affected by mental illness. What are you doing to minister to them? Suffering in Silence discusses mental illness and how to minister to those who have it.

Mental illness affects millions of Americans.

Often, those afflicted will develop substance abuse problems or will die from suicide. Surely, there must be something the church can do to help.

Timothy Mulder explores how to effectively minister to those with mental illness in Suffering in Silence. He considers questions such as:

How can you recognize someone who may potentially be struggling with mental illness?

Why are those who suffer from mental illness so often misunderstood?

Why are churches well positioned to help people struggling with mental illness?

How can you best minister to those with mental illness?

Join the author as he explores how to better understand mental illness, so you may better minister to those who suffer from it.

Sujets

• Christian Ministry
• Philosophie et théologie
• Counseling
• Bipolar disorder
• Recovery
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 10 mars 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664293250
• Langue: English

Extrait

SUFFERING IN SILENCE
MINISTERING TO THOSE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS
 
 
 
TIMOTHY MULDER
 
 
 

 
 
Copyright © 2023 Timothy Mulder.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.
 
 
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
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Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9324-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9326-7 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9325-0 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023903475
 
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 03/06/2023
For Michelle, Tiffany, Pe yton
Hunter, Calvin, and Made line,
who put up with my untreated bip olar
disorder for far too long.
I love you.
CONTENTS
Preface
1     Introduction
2     Commonly Held Myths
3     Notable Individuals
4     An Overview of Mental Illness and Bipolar Disorder
5     Causes and Characteristics
6     Substance Abuse
7     Suicide
8     Depression
9     Mania
10   Treatment
11   Mental Illness and the Church
12   Ministering to Those with Mental Illness
13   Guidelines for Pastors and Counselors
Appendix A: Resources
Appendix B: Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
Appendix C: Can Bipolar Disorder Lead One to Sin?
Appendix D: Is Suicide the Unforgiveable Sin?
Notes
PREFACE
Looking back at thirty years of roller-coaster emotions, I have done some pretty wild things. I have been at the bottom of my emotional spectrum more times than I care to remember. I have left behind a trail of financial destruction, damaged relationships, substance abuse, sexual sin, and a firm grasp of the grace of my loving Savior. If it were not for the love of God through Jesus Christ, there is no way I could write this.
This book is for those in the church who want to serve those with mental illness better. The focus will be on depression and bipolar disorder; however, much of it applies to all mental illnesses. I have bipolar disorder, and I have experienced major depressive episodes, and as such, I feel as though I can speak experientially about those diseases. Ultimately, I seek to inform the church about depression and bipolar disorder to remove the stigma surrounding mental illnesses. For far too long, the church has not known how to treat those with mental illness. This can be evidenced by a lack of public prayer for the mentally ill, a lack of visitation to those with mental illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, the non-inclusion of those with mental illness in worship services, and much more.
Disclaimer: I am not a physician. I do not have medical training. I have used reputable sources, quotes, and personal experience to write this book. It is designed to assist the lay person in understanding and ministering to those with mental illness. It is not intended to substitute for diagnosis and treatment by a medical professional.
1
INTRODUCTION
For I consider that the sufferings of this
present time are not worth comparing with
the glory that is to be revealed to us.
—Romans 8:18
WHAT IS BIPOLAR DISORDER LIKE? What does it feel like to experience the extreme highs or lows of mania and depression? How do those suffering from this illness feel when experiencing it? Is this disease worthy of the stigma so attached to it over time? One individual diagnosed with bipolar disorder described it this way:
I have felt more things more deeply; had more experiences more intensely; loved more and been more loved; laughed more often for having cried more often; appreciated more the springs for all the winters; worn death “as close as dungarees,” appreciated it and life—more; seen the finest and the most terrible in people, and slowly learned the values of caring, loyalty, and seeing things through. I think I have seen the breadth and depth and width of my mind and heart and seen how frail they both are and how ultimately unknowable they both are. Depressed, I have crawled on my hands and knees in order to get across a room and have done it for month after month. But, normal or high, I have run faster, thought faster, and loved faster than most I know. And I think much of this is related to my illness—the intensity it gives to things and the perspective it forces upon me. I think it has made me test the limits of my mind and the limits of my upbringing, family, education, and friends.
I resonate with this individual’s description of bipolar disorder, as I have struggled with it for a significant part of my life. I know what it is like to experience the euphoric highs and soul-crushing lows that attack me for any reason. I have experienced embarrassment over things I have said or done in moments of mania. I have looked at the deficits in our family’s checkbook due to my spending indiscretions. I have struggled, through sheer effort, to pass myself off as sane. I have been deeply concerned that anything I do may be misconstrued as resulting from a manic episode or a substance abuse problem. I have lost relationships with loved ones over things I said or did during my episodes. I have struggled with a physical illness I was told could only be spiritual. To quote David Lovelace, “I am ashamed and afraid of my mind.” 1
I was told that I had bipolar disorder approximately twenty years ago. Like most people with bipolar disorder, I showed symptoms for at least a decade before it was recognized as bipolar disorder. I had previously been hospitalized twice for depression and rage, with one of those times following a suicide attempt, yet I remained undiagnosed. There are various reasons why physicians fail to diagnose those with bipolar disorder sooner. Reasons include the thought that the individual suffers from depression only, social stigmas attached to bipolar disorder, and denial regarding the diagnosis. Misdiagnosis serves to amplify the lethal nature of depression and bipolar disorders. Even the name “bipolar disorder” underplays the complexity of the disease. Calling it manic-depressive illness is more descriptive because it defines the two states of the disease: mania and depression—the extremes of human emotion.

One-third of your church mem bers
are affected by mental ill ness.

A friend emphasized the manic-depressive aspect when she described bipolar disorder as “total enthusiasm for some new project, shopping binges, happy happy, joy joy. Then the plummet. Impatience with people who cannot grasp the brilliance of my plan. Then depression and thoughts of death or suicide attempts.”
Why should you take the time to read a book about depression and bipolar disorder (also called affective disorders or mood disorders)? Mental illness in the United States directly affects one in five people. Depression alone accounts for half, affecting one in ten people. Statistically, in a church of one hundred people, twenty will have a mental illness, and fifteen more will be affected. The facts and statistics on bipolar disorder are even more disturbing. Both depression and bipolar disorder are among the top ten most debilitating illnesses globally. 2 Bipolar disorder and depressive diseases influence the lives of millions of people. They affect not only those diagnosed but also their families, friends, coworkers, and people with whom they interact. Mental illness is not kind to those who suffer from it, nor is it kind to those who must live with those who have it. 3 One-third of your church’s members are affected by mental illness.
This is not a “let’s start a mental health ministry” book. Whether you realize it or not, someone in your church either has a mental illness or is affected by it. As a Christian, how are you loving those individuals? As a church, how are you ministering to those families? This book should help you understand depression and bipolar disorder so you may better minister to those with mental illnesses.
The typical path to diagnosis is for an individual with bipolar disorder to go five years before receiving any diagnosis. A person is usually diagnosed with depression first and then waits another five years before receiving the correct diagnosis of bipolar disorder and treatment. We cannot