Mental illness and Faith Mental illness is a part of Faith as it is a condition given by God to those afflicted (either by genetics or life circumstances) as a test of their Faith. Mental illness has many forms such as mild to severe depression, paranoia, schizophrenia, and Bipolar Disorder (also known as Manic Depression). Triggers: Depression can be triggered by traumatic events, and may come completely out of the blue. Some events which may trigger this illness may be the death of a loved one, loss of a job, being wronged/abused, birth of a child, built up stress of life/work, raising children, an injury, sickness, or even a relaxing vacation. The event may lead to a weakened state of mind, usually leading to depression. Depression may be God’s way of automatically protecting brain function in order to reduce harmful effects the event may have on the afflicted. Others may just have the genetic inclination for it... As a tradition states, “The man who is strong is not the one with superior physical strength, but the one who controls himself in the fit of rage.” At the onset of depression, the afflicted must remain patient and continue to perform their life duties and remember God much and pray. Those afflicted may stay in a depressed state until the mind is ready to fully accept/adjust to the event which was its cause. This may be one day up to a few months, as God wills. But what about those who are permanently affected by an event? What are they to do? God willing, this paper will help to answer those questions: Depression and Paranoia: As the afflicted can testify, the weakened state of mind seems to turn God’s beautiful creation into shades of grey. Happiness and stability of mind is replaced with sorrow, grief, despair, self doubt and worry. Rational thought is replaced with confused thinking. If the believer understands that this condition, given by God, is the first step in helping them deal with the event, the depressive state may not last long, God willing. The believer must also remember that God tests the believer and that everything emanates from Him. If the afflicted allows the weakened state to fester, he/she will sink deeper and deeper into depression. How can the afflicted avoid this from happening? Through serving God by performing prayer and remembering God much. But in their condition, the afflicted cannot concentrate during prayer, they cannot comprehend things, their bodies may be too weak to even stand up, and cannot even remember God with minds consumed with the event, as they have lost control over their thought process. All this may lead to serious side effects, such as paranoia, severe depression and/or destructive actions. The afflicted must be reminded by those who love them, and by those in the community who care about their well being, that prayer and remembrance of God is their only salvation from this God given condition. If depression is left unchecked, and the afflicted abandon their duty to God, Satan will move in at lightning speed, whispering into their weakened mind/soul that prayer is futile, that God has abandoned them, and that there is no hope or escape from the event. The fight against Satan is tremendous as their fortress of Faith, which protects their soul, has been breached due to depression. Satan and his Devils go on an all out assault through this breach in an attempt to completely take over the soul through whispering evil thoughts to them. As the acutely afflicted know, they are inundated with depressive/evil thoughts, and cannot stop them from reaching their soul. Satan may whisper for them to perform sinful acts to ‘cure’ the depression (such as harm, abuse, revenge, murder and even suicide). Satan may even come with a ‘false’ word from God ‘telling’ them to perform sinful acts (as was done with Andrea Yates). The afflicted must remember (or be reminded) that good thoughts are from God and bad/evil/sinful/irrational thoughts are from Satan. They must pray to God for strength and guidance. They must replace evil with that which is better (worshipping God). Breakdown: If left unchecked, a complete mental breakdown may occur, which can permanently impair brain function (just as with a stroke or head injury). A complete mental breakdown occurs when Satan has won the fight and has taken total control of body and soul. Witnesses call the afflicted ‘crazy,’ ‘possessed’ or ‘out of their mind.’ Also in this condition, Devils may take possession of the soul, causing multiple personalities, leading to schizophrenia, and can also lead to various paranoia, anxiety and compulsive disorders. Mania: For those afflicted with mania, they feel more alive than they have ever felt in their entire life, and may have grandiose ideas like - getting rich quick, being too focused on a task they feel is important to them (such as work), going on binges, and spending money like water. In the more intense stages of mania, the afflicted may feel completely connected to God and His creation, as their mind is allowed to function at near ‘full capacity.’ They ‘see’ God’s guiding hand in all He has created as the veil hiding the Unseen is lifted. They ‘see’ all of creation singing His Praise. They can ‘see’ into the hearts of mankind – their goodness and evilness. They can ‘see’ Satan and his followers at work and their stronghold on the minds of people. They may ‘see’ the power of their own mind and its influence it has on events happening around them – good thoughts on their part may lead to good actions by others and bad thoughts may lead to bad actions. They ‘see’ the effects of the ‘evil eye’. As their illness progresses, they may feel that God has sent them as a messenger to their people. Satan may step right in and convince their racing mind that they are indeed a prophet. The world seems to move very slowly for them as their mind works faster and faster. They may be able to ‘see’ into people’s minds. They may ‘see’ future events such as the end of this world, the Day of Judgment or the return of Jesus. When the brain finally reaches full capacity, it overloads and complete breakdown occurs. The afflicted are never the same after this… Mania is indeed a very dangerous condition for those afflicted, as God has allowed them a glimpse of the Unseen. They may feel that God or the angels are speaking to their soul – but they must be made aware that Satan is always lurking in the shadows… Loved ones and the community must step in early to avoid permanent damage to the afflicted. Mental Illness is indeed a great test of Faith for all involved. What are afflicted to do to avoid serious mental illness? God has made following His path easy for the afflicted. We as a community must visit the sick and help the afflicted with remembrance of God. The afflicted must turn to loved ones and the community to aid in the fight against Satan. But what if the community and loved ones cannot visit the afflicted? Again, God has made serving Him so easy, especially in the modern age. The afflicted can surround their weakened minds with audio-visual media - CDs, tapes, TV. We can contact loved ones and friends by the phone or even video conference via computers!! Prayer tapes keep the whispers of Satan and the devils away from reaching their vulnerable souls. Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of Mankind - the King (or Ruler) of Mankind, the God (or Judge) of Mankind - from the mischief of the Whisperer (of Evil) who withdraws (after his whisper), who whispers into the hearts of mankind, among Devils and among Men. Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Dawn from the evil that He created, and from the mischief of Darkness when it is intense, and from the mischief of those who practice witchcraft, and from the evil of the envier when he envies. The afflicted should do likewise and also make prayer for strength and relief, such as follows: Whoever is struck with a calamity and says: “Indeed we belong to God and to Him is our return. Lord, be my helper in this trial, and replace my loss with that which is better.” God will surely help him and replace his losses with that which is better. If your calamity/trial produces anxiety, depression and neglect of your underlying obligations, both spiritual and religious, or if it causes you to step into forbidden boundaries, your name shall be inscribed in the record of the negligent and disregardful ones. If your calamity impels you to complain and be impatient, your name shall be inscribed in the record of the baleful and deceived ones. If your calamity increases your love and yearning to meet his Lord, your name shall be inscribed in the record of the sincere ones who truly love their Lord. When God loves someone, He subjects him to trials. The lucky one is content and pleased with his Lord. The unlucky one is resentful and bitter. Trials are a remedy and a cure that works only for a true Believer. No one else is permitted to benefit from it. Say, “O Living Lord and Controller of the universe, I call upon Your All-encompassing Mercy to grant me an outlet from this imposing hardship.” To dispel your worries, say, “Lord, I seek refuge in You from distress and sorrow, from weakness, procrastination, and cowardice, and from indebtedness and subjugation to people’s inequity.” God will dispel worries from those who regularly prays for forgiveness. He will lead him out of trying situations, and grant him earnings from resources he does not anticipate. Pray for there is a cure in praying. Oh God, you are my Lord. None has the right to be worshipped but You. You created me and I am your slave (we must never allow anyone to control us). I am faithful to my covenant and promise to You as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I ask You to forgive my sins, for no one can forgive sins except You. Say, “I seek refuge and protection in God’s perfect words from His wrath, from His punishment of the evildoers, from any evil that may spur from His creation, and from the prodding of the devils and their coming near me.” In this extreme weakened condition loved ones and the community must aid in the healing of the afflicted. It is important to keep visitors and visitations to a minimum as the Devil associated with the visitor may adversely affect the afflicted through the whisperings of the devil to their soul. This is why the afflicted cannot be in crowds and why disturbance of any kind can greatly affect their state of mind. Also with moving weather systems, the afflicted may be sensitive to the whisperings of the Devils who are driven ahead of the storms by the angels. As the sun sets with the release of Satan and the devils, the afflicted may get agitated with an overload of evil whispering. With the fortress protecting the soul breached, every outside disturbance goes directly into the soul. It is best to keep the afflicted in a quiet, safe and religious environment (ideally a church or a hospital that allows prayer). God is so merciful to mankind, especially in this day and age. He is bestowing to man bits of knowledge about how the brain functions, and how to aid in treating the afflicted. It is a duty of every Believer to utilize the knowledge that God has bestowed to man in this regard. We must not tell the afflicted to ‘snap out of it’, ‘its all in your mind’, ‘this event should not have affected you this way’. We must accept that the event has had a traumatic affect on the afflicted and do all in our power to get professional help for them, if that is what is needed. Loved ones and the community must be educated on how to identify, understand and care for the afflicted. Sometimes professional counseling is required to talk out the event and lessen its hold on the afflicted. Sometimes medicine is required to shut down or quiet the weak mind in order to stop the whisperings of Satan from reaching the soul. This is especially true for those suffering from mania. Eating right, getting proper sleep, exercise and getting plenty of sun can aid in improving the unsettled soul. These, in addition to serving God by prayer and remembrance, will aid the afflicted in rebuilding the breach in the fortress and rejuvenating the soul. Healing will come in time, God willing.