Author Archives: Episcopal Mental Illness Network

No Casseroles for Schizophrenics: The Church and Mental Illness

by The Rev. Kathryn Greene-McCreight

Imagine your worst nightmare. The kind where you wake up in a cold sweat, panting, glad that you are awake, that it was all a dream. Then imagine that worst nightmare, but you are already awake, in a cold sweat, panting. And it is not all a dream. It is a waking nightmare.

Imagine the death of your dearest lifelong friend. You are absolutely inconsolable. Your grief is too deep for words, your sobs too loud to contain, your body too heavy even to move. Then imagine that this same friend is alive and well, visiting with you. Yet you experience equally unbearable grief. Pain too deep for words, sobs too loud to contain, body too heavy to move.

Now imagine yourself in a cafeteria carrying a lunch tray. You accidentally trip and drop it, dishes shattering on the floor, glasses splintering, food splattering. The feeling of shame and embarrassment is overwhelming. Everyone is watching.

Then imagine yourself in the same crowd, at the same moment, but you have not dropped anything. Nevertheless, you have the same overwhelming shame and embarrassment, the sense that everyone is watching you, laughing, pointing. You hear their heckling voices telling you that you are worthless.

You have now imagined just some of the devastating symptoms of life-derailing major mental illnesses: bipolar disorder, major depression, and schizophrenia.

Stigma and Shame

The external signs of mental illnesses, if they are discernible at all, can be easily misinterpreted. Because symptoms of mental illnesses are sometimes manifested in odd behaviors, sufferers are often ostracized, avoided, and stigmatized. Approximately one out of every four people at some point in their life will suffer from a mental illness. The mental health care community urges us to understand mental illnesses as biological disorders rather than character flaws.

However, the stigma and shame of mental illnesses remain strong, both for sufferers and for their families. There are a few factors which have begun to relieve the stigma over the past few decades: The appearance of new psychiatric treatments and medications and their acceptance by the general public, as well as the “coming out” of celebrities and people of note who live with mental illnesses. These include author William Styron, legal scholar and professor Elyn Saks, comedian Stephen Fry, and writer Andrew Solomon, to name just a few.

And yet the stigma is dug deeper with every public act of violence attributed to someone suffering from mental illness. The tragedies are too numerous even to take in. The perpetrators are often accused of being mentally ill, even though there may not be an actual diagnosis. Social stigma is only fueled by the fear and revulsion such acts bring. One can understand how the public would have even greater fear of people with mental illnesses. However, according to the National Institutes of Health, people living with mental illnesses are in fact less violent than the general population, and are more likely to be the victims of violence rather than perpetrators of it.

Stigma in the Church

The social isolation faced by people with mental illnesses and their families deepens the wound inflicted by the illnesses themselves. And it is compounded when our faith communities turn away from those who suffer. This happens especially when mental illness is perceived as a sign of spiritual weakness or result of lack of faith.

A clinical study published in the Journal of Religion and Health fueled this false perception when it claimed to “prove” that religious people are happier than non-religious people. (My own experience as a person of faith and Christian priest who lives with mental illness does not confirm this. Christians may be as miserable as the general population.) Studies such as this would implicitly suggest that God is a form of therapy, a tool to help us feel better. The Christian faith does not teach that God is a tool to be used, but Creator and Redeemer to be thanked, adored, and worshiped.

I have noticed, though, a general perception that if religious people are not “happier” than non-religious people, they should be. When Christians living with mental illnesses are in psychological agony, the message given is sometimes that there is something deficient in the person’s soul. Christians who suffer from mental illnesses may even be told that they are not praying hard enough, not attending church often enough, or not reading the Bible carefully enough.

When people of faith slog through the deep grief of depression, or soar on the erratic joy of hypomania, or get sucked into the cognitive mud of schizophrenia, and the problem is credited to a spiritual defect, we should all be ashamed of ourselves. Here we find a cruel irony: the very community that’s supposed to support mentally ill members ends up perpetuating their isolation and stigma.

A friend of mine told me how her church’s lay pastoral care team would regularly deliver meals to families of ill parishioners in a gesture of care and support, a common practice in many churches. But when her son was first diagnosed with and hospitalized for schizophrenia, the pastoral care team did not reach out to her at all. There is even today an underlying perception that mental illnesses are somehow “contagious” and shameful. The church’s lack of care in this case seems to have been a symptom of a very deep stigma and shame. “No casseroles for schizophrenics,” responded my friend.

Indeed, we in the church perpetuate stigma and fear in our ignorance of psychiatric symptoms. The biblical stories of Jesus and his disciples casting out demons are sometimes used to explain away mental illnesses as demonic possessions. But these same stories can be understood in another more helpful way. The symptoms of mental illness may indeed be like the demons Jesus encountered insofar as they are not the patient herself. The symptoms, like the demons in the story, need to be cast elsewhere, away from the sufferer.

One important lesson we must all learn, Christian or otherwise, is that the patient is not the illness. Symptoms of the illness are not the patient’s fault nor are they signs of a sick soul. Symptoms are external manifestations of a sickness of the brain. This is the theological analogue of what mental health care professionals encourage us to remember: our illnesses and our symptoms don’t define us.

Educating Clergy about Mental Illness

In order for faith communities to be able to care for their parishioners who suffer from mental illnesses with the same support they would give to those living with cancer, we need to draw back the curtain of fear and reveal the face of the person who suffers. Once we personally know someone who is mentally ill, the fear becomes less overwhelming and the stigma becomes less powerful. This is part of the reason why the celebrities with the courage to write and speak publicly of their experiences with mental illness are so important.

Research shows that within Christian denominations, across racial and class divides, clergy are often the first responders for those suffering mental and emotional distress. This may be the case because parishioners are frightened to seek mental health care at all, much less from secular providers. Clergy seem “safer.” Yet clergy can be, among the caring professions, some of the most ignorant about mental illnesses.

Educating clergy is crucial for the mental health of our faith communities. Clergy need to be familiar with basic symptoms of mental illnesses. We need to teach our congregations how to intervene when mental health crises arise. We need to know how and when to refer suffering parishioners to quality mental health care providers. This will mean accepting that we are not competent enough to handle these crises on our own. We have our own role, and it is separate from the role of a psychiatrist.

We need to know how to treat sufferers with respect at all times, learning to discern that gentle care and listening are not possible without maintaining firm boundaries. We need to mold our communities of faith around learning to support the families as well as the sufferers, and to guide our communities in showing the love of God even amid the deep despair of mental illnesses.

In short, we should not leave these families to suffer in silence. If we bring casseroles to cancer patients, we must also show love and concern to families grieving in seasons of mental illness. As my friend says, we should not neglect to bring “casseroles to schizophrenics.”


The Rev. Kathryn Greene-McCreight, Ph.D., is the author of Darkness is My Only Companion: A Christian Response to Mental Illness (Brazos: 2006) and a Priest Associate at the Episcopal Church at Yale.

The recently released 2015 second edition of Greene-McCreight’s book contains a foreword by the Archbishop of Canterbury, an afterword by the author, a significantly expanded bibliography, and a set of discussion questions for parish use.

Originally published October 20, 2014 in a series of “Online Exclusives” for the Fall 2014 issue of Tikkun, “Disability Justice and Politics.” Reprinted with the permission of the author and Tikkun magazine.

Resolution Regarding Mental Illness Adopted

At the 78th General Convention of the Episcopal Church meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Rev. Susan Phillips and the delegation of the Diocese of Delaware introduced Resolution C020. The resolution was one of five also endorsed by Association for Episcopal Deacons (AED).

The Resolution was adopted as follows:

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, that the 78th General Convention of the Episcopal Church calls upon dioceses, congregations, schools, and other entities of the Episcopal Church to explore and adopt best practices for the vitality and increased capacity of their mission and ministry in the inclusion, support, and spiritual care for persons with mental illness and their families; and be it further

Resolved, that dioceses, congregations, schools, and other entities of the Episcopal Church increase understanding about mental illness by providing educational material and training; utilizing existing programs such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness, veterans groups, governmental departments of mental health, local organizations, and other programs and organizations; and sharing the information so that it is readily accessible.

Book Review — Fireflies: Finding Light in a Dark World

Spiritual Memoir: a Sister Shares Her Quest to Help Her Brother Face a Mental Illness.

In Fireflies: Finding Light in a Dark World, a new release from Morehouse Publishing, Heather Gordon-Young draws the reader into the painful and baffling world faced by a family when serious mental illness affects one of its members. With rich almost poetic language, she bravely and sensitively shares both ordinary and painful experiences and mystifying holy moments — experiences that cannot be explained with logic, only with the heart. Heather’s story tells how her fierce love for her brother and her commitment to find help for him led her literally to the other side of the earth and to an exploration of the inner depths of her own faith.

When confronted with a stranger instead of the person you know, witnessing a loved one in the midst of a psychotic episode can be a horrifying experience, but stories like Heather’s must be told if we are to know the pain of serious mental illness and work for more compassionate churches and institutions. Heather’s experiences and her brother’s illness show how organized religion and the mental health system are frequently ill-equipped to help with problems that do not fit into predefined conditions.

After many soul-challenging events, Heather discovered sometimes there’s nothing we can do but be present with another person’s pain, and that is doing the thing that must be done. Fireflies is a fascinating story and will generate the kind of discussions faith communities need to have to look honestly at what they can do to be more responsive to people and families facing mental illness.


Fireflies: Finding Light in a Dark World by Heather Gordon-Young
Morehouse Publishing, $22.00
ISBN-10: 0819232009

A Personal Perspective: The Mentally Ill in the Pews

By Rev. Dr. Scott Rosenthal

There seems to be a grave misunderstanding about the nature and cause of mental illness in the church today. Leaders often imply that sin or a lack of faith is the primary cause. This leads the sufferers to blame themselves, feel extremely guilty, and miss out on experiencing the love and compassion of God.

As one who has lived with Bipolar Disorder for over a decade I have become particularly sensitive to this subject. I have been an active church member, minister, counselor, and student of faith-based mental health.

Admittedly, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause of mental illness. There are so many factors that can contribute to its existence. However, research over the last decade is revealing that there is a strong biological correlate. Studies conclusively show that the majority of cases are tied to a chemical imbalance in the brain. Most mental illness is now thought to arise due to physiological causes in the body. In this light, it is no different from any other physical disease such as cancer or hypertension. Patients with biologically based illnesses are not blamed for their condition. Nor should we blame the mentally ill for what is now believed to be largely a disorder of the brain. There is a huge genetic factor that predisposes me to develop mental illness. I have inherited genes from both sides of my family that are responsible for bipolar disorder.

This isn’t to say that there aren’t environmental, spiritual, or personal responsibility factors to be considered. It is wise to investigate all possible causes. When it comes to self-help, there are certainly things we can do to cope and deal with illness more productively. For example the heart patient may need to improve his diet to ensure longevity. The depressed patient may need to seek social support to fight isolation. But the point is — we don’t blame the medically ill for their condition. Nor should we accuse the mentally ill of causing their own problems.

Unfortunately, over the years I have heard and read countless messages from clergy and Christian leaders that cause me great discouragement, self-blame, and a host of negative conclusions about myself.

How does this happen? Often Bible verses are cited as the definitive solution for problems with our behavior, emotions, or thinking. Either a lack of faith or personal sin are often cited as reasons we are not experiencing victory.

For example the admonition to “Count it all Joy” has been used as a prescription for mental health. If we fail to experience Joy, we must be failing to follow God’s will. Similarly, it is implied that the devout Christian will experience countless benefits such as happiness and peace. For example, the fruit of the spirit is often held out as the result of Christian maturity. It’s easy to conclude that if we are experiencing sadness, despair, and hopelessness then we must be missing God somewhere.

Mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety make it difficult to experience the positive benefits of following Christ. We wonder if we are just not living the Christian life “right.” When we hear messages that imply we must be doing something “wrong” we feel like the speaker is shooting bullets at our wounded souls. Mental illness predisposes us to think and feel more negatively than would otherwise be experienced by the healthy person.

We already feel tremendous shame and stigma from a society that shuns mental illness. When we hear messages that reek of blame, we feel ostracized. We already criticize ourselves too much for not being able to receive healing. The last thing we need to hear or read from Church leaders is the implication that we are responsible for not enjoying the fruit of the spirit, experiencing healing, or feeling the emotional benefits of heeding biblical promises.

When we hear or read accusatory comments it adds tremendous guilt to the guilt we already feel for not being able to pull ourselves out of a dark pit. The messages we typically hear feel like condemnation for falling short of the will of God. This compounds our suffering. Most of us with mental illness are already trying diligently to find solutions for the pain we feel.

What we desperately need are messages and examples of God’s compassion, understanding, and empathy. We need to embrace the fact that Jesus came to earth to rescue the brokenhearted and offers strength in our weakness. We long to hear more about the forgiveness, grace, unconditional love, and mercy God offers. He invites us to draw near to Him to experience His approval and empathy.

In the church, we need to feel included and accepted as viable members just the way we are. This is the place where we can find enduring hope, warm fellowship, and unconditional love as embodied by its congregants.

The church is ideally positioned to minister to the depressed and anxious. The mentally ill are an ideal mission field. One out of every four church members will experience mental illness, either personally or in the life of a loved one. Once leaders understand and embrace those with psychological problems, they will realize that this population is ripe for the Good News. We need to hear the message that God accepts us just the way we are. Our relationship with Him does not depend on our acting “normal” or feeling a certain way. He wants to walk with us every step we take in our journey of faith.

This isn’t to accuse clergy of missing the boat. It has already been stated that blame causes tremendous harm. There isn’t much training available to prepare church leaders to respond to the concerns of the mentally ill. So let’s invite them to listen to the plight of this special population and seek to meet their unique needs in a variety of ways. Each one of us can play a part in helping our congregations become all God wants them to be.

Guidelines for Addressing Mental Health Emergencies

Editor’s Note:

Some parishes are reluctant to reach out to people with mental illness because they do not feel competent to handle emergency situations. The protocol given below is a proactive measure developed by one parish to help its members be prepared if an emergency arises.

The Rev. Mike Tanner, who worked for a number of years with a parish known for its inclusion of people with mental illness, the Church of the Holy Comforter in Atlanta, reminds us that having to use such a protocol is a rare event. He believes that Holy Comforter has been somewhat successful in fostering an environment in which people feel that they belong to the community. He believes “Once there is a feeling of belonging, there is investment in the community that tempers the behavior even of people with mental health issues. The key to inclusion must start with the will to embrace the difficult, disruptive, and disconcerting other. That doesn’t guarantee a happy or fully satisfying outcome, but there can’t be one without it.”

Guidelines for Addressing Mental Health Emergencies From Christ Episcopal Church, Toms River, New Jersey

The following guidelines are to be used by clergy and staff in the event of a Mental Health emergency.

  1. Whenever possible, try to involve the assistance of another adult who is present (fellow clergy person, staff member, or parishioner). There is safety in numbers.
  2. The primary goal is to stabilize the situation and de-escalate heightened emotional states.
  3. Remember, NEVER use any form of physical restraint on the agitated person. NEVER physically intercede with any type of physical altercation between two or more people.
  4. Speak to the person calmly, slowly, and compassionately; try to understand what has caused this person to suddenly become so upset. At the same time, you need to clearly establish limits and boundaries. It may become necessary to advise the person that the police may need to be called if the person becomes violent, threatening in any fashion, or is unwilling to follow your directives.
  5. Whenever it is safely possible, try to relocate the person away from a crowded situation. If the emergency were to take place in Church or the Chapel, ask the person to step outside of that space to a hallway or other unoccupied area. Removing the person to a different space is very helpful in the de-escalation process.
  6. If there is a verbal altercation/conflict between two or more people, it is very important that you take control of the situation quickly by firmly instructing each of them to physically move away from each other. Speak to each person separately; give them equal opportunity to tell their side of the story.
  7. Remember, never hesitate to contact the police (particularly if you are dealing with a situation alone). Safety is always the primary concern. Whenever possible, you should carry your cell phone in a concealed place (i.e. your pocket) and have it turned on and set to “vibrate.”
  8. If the person appears to be too irrational to reason with, appears to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, is violent, or seems out of touch with reality, the police should be contacted immediately and advised that there is a Mental Health emergency that requires hospitalization.
  9. Following any type of Mental Health emergency, Mother Joan should be contacted immediately (555-555-5555) and advised of the situation. You will be asked to write a brief narrative of the event, which will include your signature and the date of the incident.
For more information contact:
Christ Episcopal Church
415 Washington Street
Toms River, New Jersey, 08753

Pathways to Promise: New Website, New Motto

The great online resource for mental illness and the faith community, Pathways to Promise has a new website and a new tag line. Go to the website and read Jim Zahniser’s article explaining why “Putting Faith in Mental Health Recovery” is the new motto.


Jim Zahniser, “Putting Faith in Mental Health Recovery,” Pathways to Promise, January 20, 2015. WebCite

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Mental Health Ministries

The mission of Mental Health Ministries is to provide educational resources to help erase the stigma of mental illness in our faith communities and help congregations become caring congregations for persons living with a mental illness and their families.

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CareForTheTroops

Created by clergy and laity of the Diocese of Atlanta and launched in May 2009, CareForTheTroops is a 501c3 non-profit “…meant to be an interfaith effort to help all who have mental health needs associated with the current and previous wars. …primary target audiences are not only the military member and their immediate family, but also the entire extended family system, congregation and community leaders, and civilian mental health professionals to help them better understand the military culture and trauma, and thus be better equipped to help those in need.”

CareForTheTroops was featured in the July 2009 issue of EMIN News.

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Pathways to Promise

Pathways to Promise is an interfaith cooperative of many faith groups… a resource center which offers liturgical and educational materials, program models, caring ministry with people experiencing a mental illness and their families.