Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors Program

How can I make my faith community more inclusive: Ministering to individuals with mental illness

FACTS ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS

• Mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders are physical brain disorders that profoundly disrupt a person’s ability to think, feel, and relate to others and their environment.

• Mental illnesses are more common than cancer, diabetes, or heart disease.

• In any given year, more than five million Americans experience an acute episode of mental illness.

• One in every five families is affected in their lifetime by a severe mental illness, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, major depression, and others.

• One in ten children and adolescents have mental illnesses severe enough to cause some level of impairment. Yet fewer than one in five of these young people receive needed treatment.

    WHAT CAN CONGREGATIONS DO TO REACH OUT TO THOSE WHO HAVE A MAJOR MENTAL ILLNESS?

•           Create a welcoming community for persons with mental illness.

•           Support persons with mental illness and their families.

•           Help stamp out stigma.

•           Work for justice in the mental health care system.

For additional information on creating a caring ministry with people with mental illness and their families, contact Pathways to Promise, Ministry and Mental Illness, 5400 Arsenal Street, St. Louis, MO 63139, phone: 314-644-8400, www.pathways2promise.org.