You may be shocked by what you are about to read: After cancer and heart disease, suicide accounts for more years of life lost than any other cause of death.
- Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States, claiming the lives of over 48,000 people in 2018.[ref]”Suicide,” National Institue of Mental Health, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml, accessed January 19, 2021.[/ref]
- Even more shocking is the church’s inaccurate beliefs about mental health issues, as identified in the most recent mental health study conducted by LifeWay Research.[ref]“Study of Acute Mental Illness and Christian Faith: Research Report,” LifeWay Research, http://lifewayresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Acute-Mental-Illness-and-Christian-Faith-Research-Report-1.pdf, accessed Sept. 11, 2015.[/ref]
We cannot continue to neglect this enormous area of need.
After personal tragedy and with professional insight, Kay Warren offers practical tools and hands-on direction for supporting individuals and families struggling with mental health challenges.
Likely, you or someone you know suffers with a mental health issue. Can this person come to you for help? Does your church have a proven system for helping people with mental health needs? With love and grace, are you willing to reach into the lives of those who are marginalized? How quickly do most Christians respond to broken families, broken lives, and broken bodies, but run from those who may have broken or fractured minds? I challenge you to connect with someone who is hurting. As you do, let me know what happens. I bet you will be amazed!
Listen in as we revisit this conversation between Colleen and Kay!
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED RESOURCES
- Hope for Mental Health
- National Suicide Prevention Hotline
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Mental Health Grace Alliance
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
- NAMI FAITHNET
- National Catholic Partnership on Disability
- National Institute on Mental Health
- PTSD Perspectives
Show Notes:
You can contact Kay, as well as see information on her books, articles, initiatives, devotionals, and more on her website.
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