The War Against The Mentally Ill (OP-ED)

In the news, there has been a lot of fundamentalist Christians saying that true Christians do not develop PTSD. They are speaking, primarily, about the servicemen and servicewoman that are coming home with PTSD, saying that they should not feel guilty because they are doing God’s work in this war that President George Bush got us into. It was also added that those who have PTSD do not need medicine,? and that it does not take psychology, but that they need the Bible.

Well, not quite.

While prayer can ease your mind, if not your spirit, that is not all that is needed. And suggesting the Bible be used to cure PTSD is a fallacy, pure and simple.

I say that it is a fallacy because it is a form of idolatry to say that an inanimate object, even a holy book, can heal something like that. I know that he probably meant certain verses, but, the thing is, a lot of the verses do not help, because they are not the right words that are needed. What is needed is a kind ear and a shoulder for many people who suffer from PTSD, depression, and other illnesses.

Now, I am not saying don’t pray, because I pray myself. What I am saying, however, is to not rely on prayer alone.

Well, God will save me!

There is an interesting story concerning prayer and God.

During a flood, there was a man on the roof of his house, with the waters steadily rising. He prayed that God would save him, and a boat came. The man waved them on and said that God would save him. The boat went on and the man prayed again that God would save him. This time, a helicopter came and offered down the ladder; the man waved them on, saying that God would save him. They went on and the man drowned.

When he got to heaven, he demanded of God, “Why didn’t you save me?” God looked at him, and replied, simply, “I sent you a boat and a helicopter. What more did you want?”

The point is, help may come in the form that you may least expect it from. It could be a counselor, it could be some medicine, it could be something as simple as keeping a journal. But do not just stop your healthcare and focus only on the Bible and prayer. We have the technology and medicines we do for a reason. Use it!

Christianity is not the only religion that this happens in.

Nope. Scientology is another religion that refuses to believe that medicine or counseling is necessary for mental health and is instead something that is needed to be controlled in the reactive mind. To many believers of Scientology, mental health is a reaction from a trauma in a past life or past lives that needs to be taken care of and just pushed away.

It is so ingrained in their doctrine, Tom Cruise made fun of Brooke Shields for having postpartum depression after the birth of her children. He said that she didn’t need medicine, just needed to deal with it and move on.

It’s not just religion.

The problem with these mentalities concerning mental health is that it is not just religion that does this, but everyday people as well. Too often, it is thought that just because someone is not visibly sick, then they are not sick. And that is not the case.

Society turns a blind eye to mental health and instead thinks more on what they can see, and nothing beyond that. We have to change that.

How do we change it?

  • Better mental healthcare
  • Easier access to mental healthcare
  • More care taken in screenings
  • Compassion

This needs to be encouraged.

Personal note.

To those of you who may have a mental illness, know this. You are not weak. You are not lesser. Get help for your illness and don’t be ashamed. You are still human and you still count. Ignore these fools who say otherwise.

 

Edited/Published by: SB