Mental Illness And Religion

In today’s western society, mental illness and mental health are very pressing topics. According to Time Magazine, there was a 37% increase in the number of adolescents and adults with depression from 2005 to 2014. Approximately 1 in 5 adults in America, 18.5%, suffer from some sort of mental illness. This is part of the reason an increase in awareness and concern for mental health has also spiked. Many youths and adults are being affected in their daily lives by depression and other forms of mental illness. Mental illness has become a common topic and it is not often surprising to hear that teenagers have depression. The increased discussion of mental illness has made medical as well as therapeutic treatment become more advanced and easily

Namely, how religion shaped ideas and stigmas of mental illness in the past and how they are still prevalent in today's society. According to The Washington Times, 84% of the world population has some sort of faith. With religion having a large influence on families and communities, the question of “How is mental illness perceived in religion and how is mental illness treated within religion (within the United States)?” is significant in the evaluation of mental illnesses. This research paper will focus on how Buddhism and Christianity view and treat mental illness within their respective church. These two religions were selected because of the prevalence of their influence in our modern society and the broad differences in beliefs within each religion. Although there are other religions that intersect into Christianity and Buddhism, such as Judaism, Catholicism, and Hinduism, this paper will focus on the main aspects of Christianity and Buddhism and mention when the other religions are factored in and have

Almost 66% of pastors say they speak about mental illness less than once a year, according to a study done by Lifeway, an evangelical polling organization, in 2014. This creates an atmosphere where mental illnesses are not accepted. According to The Guardian, “Lifeway Research, an evangelical research firm based in Nashville, released a study last year that said nearly half of evangelical Christians believe that people with serious mental disorders can overcome their illness with ‘Bible study and prayer alone’.” From this study, it is logical to conclude that the majority of Christians feel the same way. Nearly 30% of people with mental illness who had interactions with Christianity reported having a negative experience. Their mental illness was equated with a personal sin or possession which led to the rejection of the church. This is not all churches, however. A denominational report was issued in 2008, called Comfort for My People by the Presbyterian Church, USA. The report was made up of many policies urging churches to have a greater insight and instruction about mental illness. Other churches, such as the United Methodist Church and the Catholic Bishops of New York State, have been doing the same thing, working towards spreading awareness about the scientific aspect of mental disabilities and illnesses and how churches can be