When Prayer Isn’t Enough: Embracing Mental Health Support in Faith-Based Communities
As a Christian living with mental illness, I’ve learned something many people don’t want to say out loud: prayer alone isn’t always enough. In my previous article, I shared how I was almost subjected to an exorcism simply because I was hearing voices — a symptom of my mental health condition. This happened not because I lacked faith, but because of harmful misconceptions in the church about mental illness. Why Do Some Believers Avoid Professional Help? Many Christians struggle to reach out for professional mental health care. Here are two common reasons why: 1. Pressure to “Just Pray More” or “Have More Faith” In many churches, mental illness is wrongly seen as a purely spiritual issue — something that can be fixed if you just pray harder . But while prayer is powerful, it isn’t a substitute for therapy, medication, or professional support. 🧠 Mental illness is not always a spiritual attack — sometimes it’s a medical condition. You don’t cure diabetes with just prayer —...