In Depth:  mental health

Matt Waldock

At least once a year a member of the staff team will drag themselves into the office with their nose running, full of cold and with a hacking cough; then everyone else will roll their eyes in the knowing frustration that unless their immune system is like an athlete, it’s only a matter of time before the whole team gets sick.

But what if there is a far more dangerous contagion that stalks among our congregations? That contagion is anxiety.

Alistair Chalmers

There are moments in the Christian life when faith feels sturdy and sure, and others when it feels as thin as glass. Prayers seem to fall flat. Scripture feels dry. Christian music maybe doesn’t lift your heart as it once did.

For many Christians these seasons can be unsettling, even frightening. We can wonder whether something has gone wrong with our faith, or worse, with us.

Dave Burke

Please note: This article contains reference to attempted suicide and mental distress. For help and support, see the bottom of this page.

I ran downstairs to answer the doorbell and found a paramedic waiting, his ambulance on the road behind him with its engine still running.

Dave Burke

A friend of mine is the youngest chaplain in the British Army, so they have sent him to train with the Parachute Regiment because he’s young and fit enough to keep up with them.

The unit he supports call themselves "the tip of the spear" because if there is conflict, they will be going in first.

Mitch Chase

Near the end of Book Three in Psalms (which is from Pss. 73–89), things grow dark. In fact, when you enter Psalm 88, you feel like you’re in a room so dark that you can’t see your hand in front of your face.

Suffering can feel like that. Some trials feel so overwhelming, so disorienting, that the language of Psalm 88 fits them. The psalmist embodies the agonies and despair that a believer can experience in a fallen world. Don’t let anyone tell you that a real believer would never feel overwhelmed and despondent. Psalm 88 would beg to differ!

Jo Johnson

Do you remember what happened when the teacher left the class? The naughty kids went bonkers, and the quiet ones hid in the corners!

Unsupervised emotions behave like unsupervised kids. They play up or give up. The relevant research shows that people who are unaware of their emotions are more prone to anger and physical and mental illness, and less able to relate well to others.

Howard Satterthwaite

In recent years, many of us have become more aware of the toll that emotional, spiritual, and mental struggles can take.

Christian leaders, of course, are not immune. In fact, some of us are quietly limping through discouragement, or even depression, while still seeking to lead with strength and clarity.

Dave Burke

Colin sat on the edge of his seat in my office, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for something. Then he said: “I know this is going to sound weird but it’s true. I was watching TV this morning, and the announcer gave me a message to pass on to you today."

The message from the newsreader was nonsense, and I began to suspect that Colin was experiencing psychosis; he was a bit delusional, and his thought processes pretty scrambled.

Dave Burke

Every so often I get taken aside by someone who tells me: “You talk about mental health and wellbeing, but you won’t find those words in the Bible; you are reading them into the text!” To which the answer is: “You are half right. Those modern terms are not found in Scripture; but the Bible does have its own vocabulary for the same ideas."

Let me show you what I mean...

Sharon Stirman

The rise of anxiety and depression in teenagers is undeniable and evident for all to see.

Teenagers live in a modern, fast-paced world with access to 24-hour news, social media, TV, and gaming. They navigate pressures from peers, school, and even family – all of which can be contributing factors to depression and anxiety.

Dave Burke

Olivia was 16 years old and wouldn’t go to school. It began a couple of years before when she started feeling anxious and those feelings grew until they ruled her life.

Everyone feels anxious some of the time, but Olivia struggled all the time. Her fear had a savage intensity that only subsided when she shut herself away in her room.

Dave Burke

We sing about it: ‘Be still for the presence of the Lord…’ We read about it: ‘Be still and know that I am God…’ But we are never still!

The Bible often speaks of ‘stillness’, and the things related to it, such as meditating and waiting on God. But Christians, especially evangelical Christians, cannot abide stillness. We like noise and activity, with a side-order of mild chaos. We don’t do stillness.

Dave Burke

There are 85 billion nerve cells in your brain, only slightly fewer than the number of stars in the galaxy! But the real work is done by the connections between them.

There are around 100 such connections for every brain cell. Every time a tiny packet of a chemical messenger crosses one of these connections, something important happens in your head. These 185 billion connections firing constantly can monitor your temperature, move your thumb, or make you seethe with resentment.