Download Do You Send a Get Well Card to the Psychiatric Ward?

Ministering to those
Affected by Mental Illness
Vickie R. Carpenter, NCCU, 2007
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1 in 4 families is affected by severe and
persistent mental illness in their lifetime.
1 in 5 suffering from manic-depression who
are untreated will commit suicide.
Mental Illness is a “no fault” disease.
Over 50% of homeless have a brain disorder.
Mental Illness is a brain disorder.
Stigma and discrimination prevent people
with brain disorders from seeking treatment.
(Strobel, 1997)
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Mental Illness is caused by:
Laziness
Promiscuity
Violence
Sin
Substance Abuse
Those with mental illness should:
“Just snap out of it”
“Just pray for healing”
“Just stop avoiding responsibilities”
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Mental health is often a taboo subject
Health insurance usually sets strict annual
limits on amount of care patient can receive
Mental issues viewed as a condition, not a
true medical illness
Mental patients feel their disease is inferior to
other medical problems
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Viewing mental health issues as symptoms
rather than behaviors will reconnect the body
with the brain
Mental Illnesses are biological in origin with
environmental factors possibly triggering an
existing genetic predisposition to the illness
Like epilepsy, MI is a biological brain disorder
Some medications used to treat epilepsy are
also used to treat mental illnesses
(Lakhan, 2007)
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Attention Deficit Hyper Active (ADHD)
Depression
Bipolar
Schizophrenia
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Panic Disorder, General Anxiety Disorder(GAD)
Eating Disorders (Bulimia, Anorexia)
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Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Most common reason children are referred for
mental health services
Difficulty paying attention: uncompleted task,
can not listen to complete instructions, easily
distracted
Hyperactivity: continuous fidgeting, problems
sitting for any length of time, always on the go
Impulsivity: blurting out answers before
questions are completed, can not wait their
turn, acting without considering consequences
(Durand and Barlow, 2006)
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Alexander Graham Bell: invented telephone
Terry Bradshaw: football quarterback
Jim Carey: actor
Prince Charles: future king of England
Winston Churchill: failed 6th grade
Walt Disney: creator of Mickey Mouse
Galileo: astronomer, inventor
Magic Johnson: basketball
Salvador Dali: artist
Mozart: composer
(Neu beCALM’d. 1997)
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May develop suddenly without warning
Can’t work or perform daily chores
Inability to enjoy anything
Feeling of worthlessness, suicidal
Sometimes physical pain
Diminished ability to think or concentrate
Even infants can become depressed
Up to 20% of those in nursing homes
Lifetime prevalence is 4.9%
(Durand & Barlow, 2006)
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Patty Duke: actress
Brian Wilson: musician (Beachboys)
Diana: Princess of Wales
Brooke Shields: actress
Buzz Aldrin: astronaut
Terry Bradshaw: football
Jim Carrey: actor, comedian
Drew Carey: actor, comedian
Robin Williams: actor, comedian
Rodney Dangerfield: actor, comedian
(Scimelpfening, 2007)
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Depression alternates with mania
Unipolar: only one of the above
Mixed state: experiencing both at same time
Mania: excessive elation, grandiosity, inflated
self esteem
Racing thoughts, decreased need for sleep,
excessive involvement in pleasurable but
risky behaviors
Severe impairment in normal functioning
Hospitalization often required
(Durand & Barlow, 2006)
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During mania, person feels invincible, can
work nonstop; excessive spending
Person does not want to give up this
extremely productive capabilities
Resist treatment: behavior seems
reasonable to them
Pleasurable state so many stop medication
to return to manic state
Lifetime prevalence: 1.3%
(Durand & Barlow, 2006)
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Edgar Allen Poe: writer
Virginia Wolf: writer
Mark Twain: writer
Jane Pauley: TV news reporter
Theodore Roosevelt: former president of U.S.
Robert Schumann: poet
Jimmy Hendrix: musician
Ludwig van Beethoven: musician
Rosemary Clooney: musician
John Strugnell: biblical scholar
(MH today)
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Disabling disorder
Perceptual, emotional, intellectual deficits
Loss of contact with reality
visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions
Paranoia, depression, mania
Inappropriate emotional responses
Social withdrawal, suicidal
Feared due to extreme bizarre behaviors
Nothing to do with multiple personalities
(Garrett, 2006)
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3,000,000 Americans will develop
schizophrenia in their lifetime
Economic burden $20,000,000,000 annually
Prevalence: 1% of the population world wide
All social classes, cultures equally vulnerable
1980: 20 years after first hospitalization:
22% fully recovered
43% improved
35% remained the same
56% were fully employed
(Garrett, 2006)
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Vincent van Gogh: artist
Lionel Aldridge: Green Bay Packers
John Nash: Nobel Prize Winner
Meera Popkin: Broadway: Cats, Miss Saigon
Eduard Einstein: son of Albert
Picasso: artist
Mark Vonnegut: son of Kurt (writer)
Vaslov Nijinsky: Russian dancer
Mother of Alan Alda: actor
Mary Todd Lincoln: wife of Abraham
(Schizophrenia.com, 1996)
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Obsessions are intrusive or nonsensical
thoughts, images or urges that the individual
tries to resist or eliminate
Compulsions are the thoughts or actions
used to suppress the obsessions and provide
relief: rituals (hand washing, repeated words)
Culmination of anxiety disorders: debilitating
avoidance, major depression, panic attacks;
all occurring simultaneously with OCD
symptoms
(Durand & Barlow, 2006)
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Compulsions bear no logical relation to
obsession, actually reinforce obsession
Most common rituals: checking (prevent
imagined disaster), ordering, arranging
(symmetry) washing, cleaning (contamination)
Hoarding is a type of OCD
Prevalence is 2.6%
Is remarkably similar across cultures
Therapy and medications have 50% to 85%
success in treating OCD
(Durand & Barlow, 2006 )
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Albert Einstein: inventor
Donald Trump: entrepreneur
David Beckham: soccer player
Michael Jackson: musician
Kathy Lee Gifford: actress
Martin Scorsese: film director
Ludwig van Beethoven: composer
Michelangelo: artist
Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson: Civil War General
(Girlshrink Article Archive 2003)
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Caused by any traumatic event: war, physical
assault, natural catastrophes, death of a
loved one
Feelings of fear, helplessness, horror during
event
Event relived through flashbacks or
nightmares
Avoidance of talk of trauma and trauma
recollections
Startle response
Up to 30% of soldiers returning from Iraq
(Durand & Barlow, 2006)
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Can be delayed for years, reason unknown
Anxiety about uncontrolled emotions
Cognitive Therapy (reliving the trauma with
assistance of therapist) very positive outcome
The broader and deeper the network of social
support, the less chance of developing PTSD
Stress creates cortisol in the body
Support from loved ones reduces cortisol
Prevalence in general population 2.2%
Vietnam POW’s: 67% developed PTSD
(Durand & Barlow, 2006)
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All encompassing drive to be thin
Anorexia nervosa: person eats minimal
amounts of food
20% die within a few years, 5% more within 10
years with 50% of these deaths being suicide
Widespread: grew dramatically 1960-1995
Bulimia nervosa: out of control binge eating
followed by purging
Mortality rate from eating disorders is highest
for any psychological disorder
(Durand and Barlow, 2006)
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Karen Carpenter: musician
Paula Abdul: musician
Jane Fonda: actress
Anna Freud: Sigmund's daughter
Cathy Rigby: gymnast
Mary Kate Olsen: actress
Audrey Hepburn: actress
Dianna: Princess of Wales
Nadia Comaneci: gymnast
( Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center,
2007)
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Blow to self image
Become spectator of life
Angry that their life has been unfairly taken
away
May become totally engulfed by the illness
Identity becomes confused
Being around what used to be normal reflects
their brokenness
Question the meaning of their existence
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Confusion and frustration
Incompetent and helpless
Financial drain
Harbor self blame for person’s illness
Person with illness may continually blame
family for their illness
Level of family stress creates divorce
Some have stated mental illness is worth than
death: you mourn the loss of the person as
you knew them along with hopes and dreams
over and over
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Stigma keeps people from seeking help
Causes isolation when symptoms flair
Denial of illness
Refuse medications
Resist hospitalization
Fire doctors, social workers, mh professionals
Self directed blame: shame, self destruction
Blame directed at others: anger, rage
Question the meaning of their existence
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Compassionate service is a core challenge as
a Christian
Deliver a message of acceptance from both
God and the local congregation can provide
support.
Carry out the usual support system:
Provide food, transportation, socialization
Cards and phone calls of encouragement
Prayer
Visitation
Be a friend: if you don’t know, ask
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Psalm 57:1 “Be merciful to me, O God, be
merciful to me, for in you’re my soul take
refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take
refuge, until the destroying storms pass by.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me all you that
are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and
I will give you rest.
Hebrews 13:5 “….God has said, “I will never
leave you or forsake you.”
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Luke 8:26-29 The story of the man called
Legion is told. People with mental illness
were banished from their communities in
biblical times due to fear of behaviors. Jesus
sought out this man and healed him. Legion
wanted to follow Jesus but Jesus sent him
back to his community. A man with mental
illness became the first evangelist to the
Gentiles.
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31)A priest happened to be going down the
same road, and when he saw the man, he
passed by on the other side. 32)So too, a
Levite, when he came to the place and saw
him, passed by on the other side. 33)But a
Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the
man was; and when he saw him, he took pity
on him. 34)He went to him and bandaged his
wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he
put the man on his own donkey, took him to
an inn and took care of him.
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35)The next day he took out two silver
coins[a] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look
after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will
reimburse you for any extra expense you may
have.'
36)"Which of these three do you think was a
neighbor to the man who fell into the hands
of robbers?"
37)The expert in the law replied, "The one
who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
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Response from an employee in the adult
admissions unit at John Umpstead Hospital,
the NC state psychiatric hospital:
“Absolutely! This is their right...to receive
and send mail. It really does pick up their
spirits. It also picks up their spirits to be able
to send cards or letters. Our department
helps patients to make cards and I mail
them.”
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www.mentalhealthministries.net
www.naminc.org/nami_and_communities_of_
faith.htm
www.nccmentalhealth.org
www.pathways2promise.org
www.min-ucc.org
www.faithnetnami.org
www.congregationalresources.org/
mentalhealth.asp
www.adnetonline.org
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Helping Someone With Mental Illness:
Compassionate Guide For Family, Friends
and Care Givers; Rosalynn Carter, Susan
Golant;1998
Ministries on Mental Illness, by the General
Board of Church and society of the
UMC;2002
A Path Through the Sea: One Woman’s
Journey from Depression to Wholeness;
Lillian V. Grisham; 1993
Strength for His People: A Ministry for
Families of the Mentally Ill; Pastor Steven
Waterhouse; 1994
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Durand, M. & Barlow, D (2006). Understanding and defining
mood disorder. In M. Taflinger, K. Makarewycz, D.
Moneypenny, & S. Harkrader (Eds.) Essentials of Abnormal
Psychology (4th ed., pp. 208-261). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth
Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center (2007,
March 20). Famous people who have died from Eds.
Retrieved March 20, 207, from http://www.edrefferal.
com/ Celebrities_who_died_or_have_Eating_
disorders.html
Garrett, B. (2003). Psychological disorders. In Garrett, B. (Ed).
Brain and behavior (pp. 364-395). Belmont CA: Wadsworth
GirlShrink Article Archive (2003). Famous people with
obsessive compulsive disorder. Retrieved March 19,
2007, from www.girlshrink.com/articles/article/
2334483/31830.html
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Lakhan, S. (2007, March 23) When did the brain become
disconnected from the body? Retrieved March 26, 2007,
from http://www.brainblogger.com/2007/03/23/whendid-the-brain-become-disconnected-from-the body
MH today (n.d.) Famous people with bipolar disorder.
Retrieved March 20, 2007, from http://www.mentaltoday.
com/bp/famous_people.html
Neu beCALM’d (n.d.) Famous people with ADD/ADHD.
Retrieved March 19, 2007, from http://www.adhdrelief.
com/famous.html
Schizophrenia.com (1996). Famous people and schizophrenia.
Retrieved March 22, 2007, fromhttp://www.schizophrenia
.com/famous.htm
Strobel, S. (1997). Creating a circle of caring: the church and
the mentally ill. Raleigh, NC: NAMI-NC.