Editorial: Prayer isn’t enough for people with serious mental illnesses

When I was young, I had a relative who struggled with deep depression. 

Our small Adventist community was our main point of reference for everything health-related. Some would even travel hundreds of miles to see the Adventist physicians who had a clinic in Wahpeton in the far southeastern corner of the state. 

As for mental health, it was generally believed that any such problems just meant you weren’t trusting God enough. 

Once this man confessed his problem to his pastor, who shot back, “Ellen White tells us that ‘Despondency is sinful and unreasonable.’” “Great,” he said. “Now I’m not just depressed, but also a sinner!” He lived a tragically unhappy life, which I believe contributed to his death at a relatively young age. 

Another woman in one of my first churches was admitted to the state mental hospital with the catch-all diagnosis of “nervous breakdown.” It was a source of tremendous shame for the family, something not talked about.

I see where we get our wires crossed: spiritual health and mental health overlap. Having good spiritual health undoubtedly confers emotional benefits. 

But spiritual health may not be enough to overcome serious mental conditions. We Adventists, who seem to have a ready Bible text or Ellen White quote for everything, haven’t been sensitive to mental health needs. I believe our eschatology may even contribute to anxiety and depression for those who are vulnerable.

I wish that someone had given these people permission to take antidepressant medications. At that time, though, and in that setting, people resisted taking pills, thinking it would make them drug addicts. They should just pray more and trust in God!

That attitude hasn’t entirely gone away; Neil Nedley’s depression program at Weimar University still relies on prayer, exercise, and eating the right diet—which has, in some cases, had tragic consequences.

I hope that more Adventists have learned to nuance the difference between everyday discouragement and serious, long-term depression, and can seek the professional help they need. And I hope pastors will encourage them to do so, and not just tell them to pray more.