Even people who go to church and believe in God can get depressed. There is an assumption among church folks that if you pray hard enough, or devote more time in church you won’t get depression. Or, or if you ensure that all your sins are forgiven, and you do the right things, that you will not fall victim to a mental illness like depression. This fallacy could not be farther than the truth. Mental illness does not discriminate. Mental illness like cancer, diabetes, or high blood pressure, does not pick and chose only people those of little faith. Unfortunately, it is an illness that goes largely unspoken about within the church setting leaving parishioners to suffer in silence under a veil of shame and stigma. Other than praying with you, many pastors are unequipped to help people deal with severe symptoms of depression. There is definitely more awareness and education needed. This subject needs to spoken about more, and more understanding about the disease and its symptoms need to be explored within the church setting. Anyone from any walk of life can experience depression, whether high and mighty in faith, or ye of little faith. Let’s talk more about mental health, raise awareness and begin to end the stigma.
