Don’t be a voluntary victim to mental illness …

There are all kinds of stripes of Christians, from the bold to the timid, who speak of victory in Christ. Yet, there are masses of believers and non-believers who voluntarily make themselves victims to mental illness.

How do they become voluntary victims to mental illness?

By never seeking the real, effective therapy that can provide the help they need to overcome their mental illness.

A plethora of research data consistently reveals that effective therapy, such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, routinely produces a high level of positive (effective) outcomes in treating an array of mental illnesses. Dr. Greg Mulhauser, Managing Editor of Counselling Resource, reports the following:

“Research evidence about the effectiveness of counseling and psychotherapy overall is relatively unambiguous: counseling does work. For a wide range of types of psychological distress, both subjective client reports and more objective measurements indicate that counseling and psychotherapy are effective, both in the short term and over longer time periods. For certain kinds of psychological distress, such as depression, some evidence also suggests that the benefits of counseling can interact positively with medications such as anti-depressants: in other words, counseling and medication together sometimes offer better results than either counseling or medication on their own.”

I understand that many — many — people suffering from a mental illness don’t get the professional help they need because they can’t afford it. That is a primary issue addressed by Scott Free Clinic, which is an international ministry that specifically strives to remove the barrier of cost to provide the services people need to change their lives.

In addition to the barrier of cost, Dr. David Susman, a clinical psychologist and leader in the field of psychology, identifies eight other reasons why people with mental illness don’t get the treatment they need. These reasons include:

• • Fear and shame.
  • Lack of insight (“There’s nothing wrong with me”).
  • Limited awareness of the significance of their mental illness.
  • Feelings of inadequacy.
  • Distrust.
  • Hopelessness.
  • Unavailability of mental healthy services.
  • Practical barriers (can’t afford it, no transportation, child care issues, work or school schedules, etc.).

But when service is accessible, there are still some people who refuse to seek help for their mental illness. By their unwillingness to get help, they make themselves voluntary victims of their mental illness because they don’t have to be.

Of all the people on this planet, Americans are very attuned to living in a service industry culture. We’re used to buying services to provide what we want or need. But for some, they refuse to get the clinical therapy that might be the tool for changing their lives for the better — and for many, for the dramatically better!

The statistics are based on sound research, and I can tell you from my more than three decades of providing Christian clinical therapy, more often than not therapy provided by a competent, skilled therapist can help you achieve positive outcomes for your mental illness. Because of that fantastic fact, let me urge you to do what is necessary to get the help you need, and when you do, to cooperate fully with your therapist. A healed and whole life could be the result!

Scotty