Psychopathology

Instructions: Respond to the following discussion posts.

The Quest and the Questioning

Joy

            Growing up in an evangelical church, it was drilled into my head that I could never trust my heart, but it was confusing because I was a little girl with big feelings about every circumstance. I don’t mean this in the sense of overreacting or being overly emotional about the slightest disturbances (although this did occur), what I mean is I was able to feel very deeply what  felt right and what  felt wrong in my body. I am very aware of what the Bible says about the passage, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds,” (ESV, 2016, Jeremiah 17:9-10). I know now that discernment is necessary and just because our minds tell us one thing and our hearts tell us another, we must take a step back and surrender to what we’re being led, by God, to do. And this takes so much practice through quiet moments with Him, in prayerful meditation and in reading His word. But I also believe that while we cannot make rash decisions based on our hearts, I still believe that God allows us to understand Him and His plan in the cues we feel in our bodies – whether something makes us feel wildly unsettled all the way to our bodies manifesting illnesses. My experiences of my evangelical upbringing was that people in positions of power in the church used scripture to weaponize, keep its members subservient, and maintain control, so it’s taken years of deconstruction, separating God and His love for us from what was drilled in my head from a very young age. What I’ve come to the conclusion of is that both the knowledge of the head and wisdom of the heart (perhaps my  felt experience of discernment) are crucial to knowing, understanding, and following God’s plan and purpose.   

            We have been given incredible minds to read and understand God’s word and think about our actions and the consequences – both positive and negative - of those actions. And I believe it is through the combined efforts of the knowledge of our minds and the wisdom of our hearts (with the aforementioned efforts to connect intimately with God) that we are better equipped to discern what to do, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (ESV, 2016, Philippians 1:9-10). Therefore, it is through these efforts, these discernment tools that I feel my life has the “rudder” of faith to guide me. I’ve found that in regularly syncing these practices that I can surrender and live by faith in Christ. The more I’ve sought control, by steering the bow of my own “ship” one direction or the other, the more lost I’ve become. I’ve learned to let go of the wheel and let God steer. Change and hardship are inevitable, and it is when we surrender (head and heart) to the faith that the Holy Spirit will guide our paths – that is where we truly grow and thrive.

References

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Bible Gateway – Jeremiah 17:9-10 ESV. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2017%3A9-10&version=ESV

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Bible Gateway – Philippians 1:9-10 ESV. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=philippians+1%3A9-10&version=ESV

Schizophrenia

Joy F

It is a well-known fact that schizophrenia – and all mental illnesses – carry some degree of stigma, and it is largely due to this reason that the common perception of schizophrenia is that it marks its sufferers as “crazy” (American Psychological Association, 2022). While some media has tried to humanize and destigmatize those suffering from schizophrenia ( A Beautiful Mind), books, television, and movies have all perpetuated stigmas and stereotypes of those diagnosed with schizophrenia -  One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and  Girl Interrupted come to mind. Unfortunately, the mass production of this type of media only strengthens the negative stigma and perception of non-sufferers and keeps us separated. Schizophrenic sufferers are depicted as lunatics, incapacitated, driven by the voices in their heads to do the unthinkable.

I would venture to say that likely over 50% of the population in the United States suspect those with schizophrenia are violent or a potential danger to others. There seems to be a phenomenon that people avoid using critical thinking; they avoid putting themselves in positions to understand the struggles of others. I believe this is in part due to the idea that if we can label someone else, it makes us more comfortable that we aren’t  that person; we’re not  that bad. That’s  their problem, not mine. We fear what we don’t understand and we “other” people to make ourselves feel a false sense of security. And, as mentioned, mass media hasn’t helped this perception. Sadly, those who do suffer from schizophrenia and other mental disorders become innocent bystanders, victimized even more by the spread of inaccurate or hyperbolic depictions of the characters who could and should be advocating on their behalf (DeMare. 2016).  

As a society, we fear more than we seek to understand. The fact is, though, Jesus put himself right in the middle of people who suffered in these ways. The Bible doesn’t necessarily label individuals who suffered, but modern-day biblical scholars have speculated that some of those individuals would be labeled in today’s society, like Ezekiel who experienced hallucinations and other mental anguish likely due to being placed in captivity and persecuted (Cook, 2012).

My great-grandmother (my mother’s grandmother) suffered from schizophrenia. I was only around 8 or 9 when she passed away, but I have fond memories of being with her. My grandparents would take me to her home, and I will never forget the smile that lit up her face when we arrived to visit her. She was very kind and very generous – always offering us M&Ms from the bowl in her living room. I do remember that her home was the only place that I ever saw her, as she was very afraid of leaving what she considered to be the only safety of her home. She was very engaging when we would come to visit her, but she did have episodes where she would seem to dissociate and mumble to herself. It is this experience with her that has helped me see those with schizophrenia just like anyone else – they’re human; this is just the “cross” that they bear, just like all of us bear our own “crosses”.   

The church and Christians shouldn’t view those with schizophrenia, or other psychotic disorders, any differently than anyone. In fact, getting to know and love these people as  people is the perfect opportunity for those not afflicted with these ailments to exercise God’s commandment, “…‘and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (ESV, 2016, Mark 12:30-31). And if another’s ailment makes a non-sufferer uncomfortable, that’s even more reason to lean in, learn, and be compassionate. It is in loving others fully, despite their infirmities, that allows us to realize God and who God is more fully.

References

American Psychological Association. (2022, February 16).  Fighting the stigma of mental illness, with Patrick Corrigan, PsyD. YouTube. https://youtu.be/cCiAZ7owPyQ

Cook, C.C.H. (2012). Psychiatry in scripture: sacred texts and psychopathology.  The Psychiatrist, 36(6), 225-229. Doi:10.1192/pb.bp.111.036418

DeMare, N. (2016). "Exaggerations and Stereotypes of Schizophrenia in Contemporary Films."  Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications,  7(1). Retrieved from http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=1474

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Bible Gateway – Mark 12:30-31 ESV. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2012%3A30-31&version=ESV&scrlybrkr=96856d67

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