|
About our articles
On this page are many articles about mental health and how it relates to Christianity. Because it can be difficult to categorise all our articles, we have put them here in a big long list for you to browse. Please use the Tag Cloud on your right to help you navigate or the search boxes.
- Please remember that you may share these articles freely, but not change them without permission - see our copyright information. Use the social networking tools which will appear on your left when you view an article.
- We would love to publish your articles as long as they are about Christianity and Mental Health. Please register and log-in and see our 'submitting an article guide' to learn how to do this. If you get stuck you can email us with the article, but it is much easier for us if you use the 'submit' function which works just like Microsoft Word or similar, and you can 'copy&paste' from articles you have already written.
|
|
| Dissociative Identity Disorder | | We have had a number of queries about 'DID' and this article from the PODS website [Positive Outcomes for Dissociative Survivors] is a first response.
More ...
| | Rob and Carolyn Spring |
|
| Make a difference near you | | One of the aims of Mind and Soul is to initiate and facilitate local support networks, empowering and engaging the local church and enhancing mental health services. This article gives four key steps
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Social Workers' Mental Health | | Mental health consultant Mike Bush explains why trainers and employers must work harder to protect and promote the mental health and resilience of social workers
More ...
| | Mike Bush |
|
| A Quiet Mind | | The Church has a wealth of tools, traditional and modern, at its disposal to meet the challenges of mental dis-ease and to find ways of being community that exclude no-one. There has never been a more urgent need for us to step up to this task than the pr
More ...
| | Revd Eva McIntyre |
|
| Clinical perfectionism | | Slides and information from a talk given at the Scottish Christian Medical Fellowship day conference on perfectionism, and why it can be a particular problem for Christian doctors
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Staying Sane in Youthwork | | How much thought do people like youth workers put into their own mental and emotional health? Rob Waller looks at how we can establish strong foundations that will ensure that we don't over commit or burn out, and prepare us for the tough times
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Diet and Mental Health | | Diet can make or break your mental health. Read more about this and learn how to find a nutritionist in your area.
More ...
| | Sarah Jones |
|
| Mental Health and Spiritual Integration | | A psychologist colleague tells me that mental hygiene is a lot like dental hygiene in that staying content and mentally/emotionally well doesn’t just happen, you have to put conscious time and effort into it.
More ...
| | Heidi-Professional Christian Psychologist |
|
| Finding Happiness | | For every 100 studies into depression there is only 1 on happiness. But is the first question we need to answer actually, "Does God want us to be happy?"
More ...
| | Shaun Lambert |
|
| Public Minds Videos | | 'Public Minds' is a series of short films which tackles this head-on, presenting very practical advice given directly by young people, mental health practitioners, youth workers and counsellors. Developed by the leading charity 'Young Minds'
More ...
| | Rich Smith |
|
| Ending Domestic Abuse - a Pack for Churches | | The aim of this policy is to enable the Church to address domestic abuse both within its own community and wider society. Also to work through how to deal with domestic abuse issues in today’s world.
More ...
| | Natalie Collins |
|
| Restored's History | | How Restored came into being - a global Christian alliance to transform relationships and end violence against women
More ...
| | Natalie Collins |
|
| Seven steps to solving a problem | | To learn a technique called Problem Solving, work through the seven steps in this article. This will work for any problem for which there is a solution to be found today.
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Healing and Mental Illness | | What is the place of faith healing in mental illness. Can something has hurt so many be encouraged? Can something which has helped so many be ignored?
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Cities and networking | | See the video from the start of the Telford Mind and Soul Conference. Do you know what is going on in your city?
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Alternative therapies | | There is a wide range of alternative therapies on offer today. Some of the more common ones are acupuncture, hypnotherapy, homeopathy, cranio-sacral therapy and osteopathy. Do they help and should Christians pursue them?
More ...
| | Rob Waller and Jonathan Clark |
|
| Prayer and Healing Research | | Praying for people with the aim of healing is something Christians have always done, but is it effective and what does current research say? In this article, Anne Douglas summarises the current understanding and explores how local groups can develop
More ...
| | Anne Douglas |
|
| Where do Christians go for help? | | If you ask Christians who they would like to see, most will say they would prefer a Christian health professional, all other things being equal. But that is the rub - are all other things equal?
More ...
| | Tara Gormley |
|
| Words of encouragement | | A list of encouraging Bible verses straight from God himself. He is able to help us because He understands!
More ...
| | Christian Mental Health |
|
| Psychosis and Hearing Voices | | Psychosis and hearing voices are disturbing problems for both the sufferer and the person trying to help. Learn about causes and getting help
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| 16 things not to say | | Yes, these have all been said! Yes, actually to people's faces! Try something else instead
More ...
| | Alan and Amanda Stephenson |
|
| Anger Management | | Anger Management is a hot topic in psychiatry at the moment - not because anger is a mental illness but because the two frequently coincide making it part of the problem and hance part of the treatment focus. In this post, I want to
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Exhausted church leaders | | Being a church leader is a real challenge and it is essential to realise that the task is endless, the needs definitely outstrip supply and the difficulties are persistant. The challenge of spotting and supporting people who are
More ...
| | Will Van Der Hart |
|
| Premier Lifeline | | Premier Lifeline, this year celebrates its 15th birthday and has taken over 750,000 calls. However, the last few weeks has been a time when a shockwave has hit the Helpline world. The trust of the public built up over decades has been
More ...
| | Jonathan Clark |
|
| Eating Disorders Awareness Week | | Each year Anorexia/Bulimia Care sends a campaign to churches and Christian organisation in order to raise awareness of eating disorders and increase understanding for those affected and their families. Last year together with
More ...
| | Mind and Soul Team |
|
| Mental Health Professionals | | As a psychiatrist, I am always getting confused with a psychologist! This new resource explains clearly what each different type of mental health professional does. This will vary a bit in different parts of the country but
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| BBC Headroom | | www.bbc.co.uk/headroom is another great site from the Beeb. Full of information, stories and interviews [many by Ruby Wax!] it has lots on offer. my favourite is a little program to create your own moodscape - go on, you know you want to!
More ...
| | Mind and Soul Team |
|
| Bereavement due to suicide | | Health Talk Online, the UK's largest online collection of real-life health stories and shared experiences of health and illnesses, has launched a new section that gives a unique voice to people who have been bereaved by suicide
More ...
| | Mike Bush |
|
| Suffering from an eating disorder | | Anyone who has experienced anorexia or bulimia can describe that tantalising paradox as it offers everything you feel as if you are looking for, and at the same time steals your life from you and robs your future hopes. One-sufferer describes
More ...
| | ABC |
|
| The Church and Eating Disorders | | Research carried out at events and conferences found that 90% of church members knew someone who was suffering with an eating disorder. 70% of them knew someone in their own church. The majority said that their church was not able to offer
More ...
| | ABC |
|
| Recovery and Faith in Eating Disorders | | Recovery is something you may find yourself thinking about a lot when you are struggling with an eating disorder or if you are caring for someone with one. Maybe it’s something you fear – or something you long for. For sufferers it can be both
More ...
| | ABC |
|
| Eating Disorders - the reality for families | | Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating Disorder, Food Phobia, Food Avoidance Emotional Disorder? Since 1980 Anorexia and Bulimia Care has helped thousands of sufferers and their families care for and cope with eating disorders through the illness to
More ...
| | ABC |
|
| CBT for Anxiety | | Anxiety has a myriad causes, but clinically can be divided into three pictures: A. isolated panic attacks [such as specific phobias], B. panic with in between background anxiety [such as scocial phobia] and C. constant background anxiety
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| 20 Ways of Staying Afloat... | | Mental distress in whatever form it takes triggers a whole range of responses from people. When I ask a group of people to list any words, terms or phrases which in some way relate to mental disorder the list is surprising long.
More ...
| | Jonathan Clark |
|
| Stress - Friend or Foe | | “I feel stressed, I am stressed out, I am under pressure, I just wish this stress would go away. I can’t cope with this stress any longer.” When people talk about stress it invariably comes across as a negative. However, I am well aware that
More ...
| | Jonathan Clark |
|
| Challenging Attendees | | How does the church deal with people whose behaviour presents a challenge - to the running of services and the safety of others? We need to be wise in managing risk but also loving. This article offers a framework for managing and reducing
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Remembering Combat Stress | | 90 years ago, the armistice ending World War One was signed. We often remember those with amputations and scars, but the psychiatric casulaties are just as numerous. WW1 was when the term 'shell shock' became well known and today, though
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Mental health bible study | | This Bible Study is designed to be used in a small group, maybe as a way of introducing the topic in your church. Start by considering "What is good mental health like?".
More ...
| | Martin Hird |
|
| Mercy for eating disorders | | Mercy Ministries have written this book as a unique approach to dealing with the root of many eating disorders. Contains many testimonies and advice on where to go for help. It is part of their 'Mercy for...' series.
More ...
| | Nancy Alcorn |
|
| Depressed pastors | | 25% of Clergy time off in the Church of England is caused by depression - but no-one seems to be talking about it. In the February 2008 Podcast we look at some of the reasons behind this and what can be done about it.
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Attitude to suicide | | One of the hardest things to deal with when someone is suicidal or has died from suicide is that there are so many negative attitudes aboout the subject. It even used to be illegal until recently -
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Dissatisfaction | | Depression is a common illness in both general practice and hospital settings. Its severity ranges from mild to severe. The more severe cases certainly warrant treatment.
More ...
| | Peter Davies |
|
| Depression symptoms | | Depression can present with many symptoms. As a rule men tend to get angry to cover their grief and sadness, whereas women tend to get sad and tearful to cover their anger. Anxiety overlaps significantly with depression
More ...
| | Peter Davies |
|
| Losing someone from suicide | | There are a number of sources of help available. Start with this testimony about how one person came back 'out of the ashes' and worked through their problems - with God's help. There are also some links to helpful online resources and books.
More ...
| | Mike Bush |
|
| When it gets risky | | It can be very hard to know when you have done all you can and things are now getting out of hand. This article explains some of the key things to look for.
More ...
| | Mike Bush |
|
| My inner eye | | I have spent the last 24 hours in Newcastle studying anxiety disorders, in particular how people keep living according to their own internal logic because in some way this makes sense to them.
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Panic attacks | | I have had quite a few requests recently for information on panic attacks from younger Christian people so I thought I should have a go at explaining things and putting them in a bit of context -
More ...
| | Will Van Der Hart |
|
| Seeing your GP | | It is very common for people to go and see their GP with common mental health problems like anxiety or depression. We see two or three new cases of depression most days.
More ...
| | Peter Davies |
|
| Types of Christian counselling | | There are so many counselling options available - how do you know which ones to go for? Most people identify three levels of counselling: support, counselling and therapy. This can be biblical, 'nouthetic' or person-centred.
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| The drugs don't work | | When the Verve complained the drugs didn't work, they were (I assume) talking about illicit drugs. But what about antidepressants (and other psychiatric drugs in general).
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Unhealthy professionals | | Should mental health professionals be 100% healthy? Should they have had a personal experience of mental illness? Should they have 'sorted themselves out before they try to help others? What does Christianity have to say about this?
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Mental health of students | | Students leave home, move town, lose support and friends and start a major academic challenge all in the space of Freshers Week! Some thrive, but many really struggle. Most will have some mental health difficulties throughout University
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Sabbath serenity | | Most stress workshops explore the flight and the fight alternatives. And there certainly is a right time to do one or the other. Joseph ran from the seductive Mrs. Potiphar (Gen 39); Moses confronted Pharaoh (Exod 5-11). But there is a third
More ...
| | R Paul Stevens |
|
| Stress and distress | | Stress is about two things. One is force, the second is ability to withstand that force. The term was originally borrowed from engineering where it is a key concept in assessing the strength of metals. In medicine we tend to focus on stress
More ...
| | Peter Davies |
|
| Solitude and being alone | | Jesus calls us from loneliness to solitude. Loneliness is inner emptiness, whereas solitude is inner plenty. It is a journey through personal maturity to communion with God. Solitude exists in a tension of benefits and risks and is an elusive
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Stigma | | People with mental health problems often find themselves on the outside of society and rejected by friends. Why is this? And why this is not an option for Christians.
When the stranger says: "What is the meaning of this city?
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| How to dismantle your father | | I was listening to U2's great new album yesterday - "How to dismantle an atomic bomb". It seems to be everyones favourite 'music for the journey' right now. The first track to get my attention was track 3. Bono is talking about his
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Talking about your faith | | When I first meet a new patient/client, I want to make sure that i have identified all the things that are important to them. I ask about housing, relationships, symptoms, etc. For a lot of people, spirituality is an important part of who they
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Counselling is painful | | The process of therapy or coming to a true understanding of ones-self is painful, usually because it involves coming face to face with some stuff that we had been hiding from for many years. Yesterday I was reading John's Gospel chapter 21
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Multiple personality disorder | | I was asked by a lady at a conference yesterday what my views were on Multiple Personality Disorder. This is a set of symptoms where it seems like there are two or more distinct personalities present within one person. It is called
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Images in the mind | | I have spoken to a number of people over recent weeks, all Christians, who have been troubled with intrusive thoughts. These are often sexual or violent in nature and, whilst recognised as the persons own thoughts, they are not the thoughts
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Christians and Therapy | | There seem to be so many out there... I mean, should I look analytically at my self, socially at my relationships and work, psychologically at my thoughts, biologically (with drugs) at my brain chemicals, naturally at my links to nature, exist
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Common problems | | Here are some ideas for help with problems we have not covered in detail elsewhere on the site. This page contains extracts from another website - the Student Counselling Centre at Royal Holloway College in London [©]. They have written some
More ...
| | Royal Holloway College |
|
| Debt and Mental Health | | There is a strong link between financial stress, debt and mental health. Listen to a day of teaching for Christians Against Poverty
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Shrinking the Inner Critic | | In my work with clients repetitively traumatized in childhood, I am continuously struck by how frequently the various thought processes of the inner critic trigger them into overwhelming emotional flashbacks. This is because the PTSD-derived
More ...
| | Peter Walker |
|
| Christians and Addiction | | This article was written for Artisan Magazine. Artisan is a forum for people working in the arts and media industry, "to simply provide safe spaces in different hubs around the world for industry people to come and get spiritually hydrated
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| Attitudes to suicide | | One of the hardest things to deal with when someone is suicidal or has died from suicide is that there are so many negative attitudes aboout the subject. It even used to be illegal until recently - though how you charged the person who had
More ...
| | Rob Waller |
|
| | |
|
| |