Since the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the United States of America has been at war. By 2015, the U.S. military deployed 2.77 million service members (for a total of 5.4 million deployments) to Afghanistan and Iraq in order to support its Global War on Terrorism in these two fronts. Trauma and veterans The prolonged warfare has impacted combat veterans, most often manifested as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or moral injury (MI), the latter gaining more attention in recent years. Combat deployments affect people and veterans return changed. Some come back worse than others, but no one comes back the same. Many have experienced various forms of trauma. Whether directly from combat operations or not, trauma can be a significant part of one’s experience in war. Trauma can cause severe physical, emotional and psychological reactions often diagnosed as PTSD. Trauma may manifest in symptoms of PTSD, but the injury to the psyche, or soul, is more than … [Read more...]

Mental health and mental illness are terms that, unfortunately, can carry shame, guilt, confusion, misunderstanding and stigma. But of all these, stigma causes the greatest problems. Arguably, stigma brings with it not only discomfort, but for some disgrace. And the church is called to promote grace, not disgrace. Thankfully, we’ve experienced leaders, athletes, singers and other celebrities with high media presence opening up about their own mental illnesses in the last few years. Why does it matter that Prince Harry spoke out about his depression? That the younger royals created Heads Together, an effort to battle the British stiff-upper-lip stereotype and fight stigma? That Lady Gaga, Michael Phelps, NBA player Kevin Love, Beyoncé and so many other celebrities have been open about their mental struggles? It matters because no one should feel disgraced by an illness — any illness. It matters for reasons we may never be able to count. We will never know how many people began to … [Read more...]

He suffers under the weight of his serious mental illness. In her depression, she clutches to a hope that seems to be fading day after day. They grasp for something, anything, that will help them care for their child who feels alienated from the congregation. He, she and they hide in silence behind the dark veil of mental illnesses that affect 1 in 5 people in our pews. Mental health matters. It is important to live an abundant life. And for those who are impacted by mental illness, it is always serious. Their suffering is real, and they turn to church for hope and help. They seek accompaniment in their isolation, and the church should ask, “Are we prepared to accompany them?” To accompany those suffering from mental illness the church will need robust compassion, better training and tangible resources. There was a young man who suffered from what I later learned was schizophrenia. Fresh out of seminary, I was ill-equipped to accompany him. Not understanding what he truly … [Read more...]

by Cara and Carlton Johnson Author’s note: This is a letter that my wife and I composed to our oldest son. Recently, he began treatment for mental illness.  Because we know that so many want to say these same words to their children, we share this letter with you.  We hold you in our prayers. — Carlton My dearest elder son, I know I’ve always been overprotective because you tell me so. Wiping away tears from the bruises of a fight or a scrape on the knee from falling from your bicycle was hard enough for a single mother.  So, know that telling you that you may be susceptible to an imperceptibly slow-moving disorder, which could ultimately unravel your well-hewn life, was close to impossible. For years, I carried the concern that I may have been the genesis of your malady. There was a delay between my water breaking and your delivery. Though my obstetrician assured me that you were fine, the fear that I had somehow caused you harm persisted. I fought so that you might … [Read more...]