Mental Health and the Church –Stats and facts
This article is part of an ongoing discussion series on Mental Health and the Church. To start at the beginning click here.
Why am I talking about mental health? One of the reasons is it needs to be talked about. It is a subject that we too often don't address, yet the instances of mental health issues in both society and church are huge and growing.
The other reason is that it is one of the main things God has been talking to me about over the last few months. He has been talking to me about the importance of renewing the mind, and how much He is wanting to heal people and bring them into a place of having a sound mind so that they are not easily tossed around by the storms of life. As part of that work, He is wanting to renew people's minds (their thinking patterns, beliefs, and mental health) so they can see transformation happen in their lives. Romans 12 and other scriptures tell us that this has always been part of His plan for mankind – that they are healthy in mind, soul, body, and spirit, living abundant and free lives that are being transformed and bettered in every area. So, facing and talking about the issue of mental health is part of that.
Mental health issues cover many areas – depression, anxiety, phobias, schizophrenia, addiction, suicidal ideation, and more. The following facts give us some idea of how prevalent mental health issues are in society and in the church, and sadly, they are on the rise with the current global crisis.
The following figures might shock and surprise you, but they will let you know how real this problem is and how much help is needed.
In New Zealand society
Around one in five people will experience mental health and addiction challenges in any given year.
50–80% of New Zealanders will experience mental distress or addiction challenges, or both, in their lifetime.
There are some indications that prevalence appears to be increasing.
Disparities in outcomes also exist for groups such as Māori, Pacific peoples, and people in contact with the criminal justice system.
In addition, New Zealand’s rates of suicide remain stubbornly high and have been trending upward in recent years. The most recent year for which we have provisional suicide data is the financial year from July 2020 – June 2021. 607 people died by suspected suicide during that year. St Johns Ambulance reports last year saw a 30% upsurge in callouts to suspected suicide attempts, and they also reported that the amount of under 14 year-olds attempting suicide has increased dramatically.
Information is taken from NZ government website https://mentalhealth.inquiry.govt.nz/.../cha.../1-4-context/ Mental Health Foundation – https://mentalhealth.org.nz/suicide-prevention/suicide-statistics and St Johns annual report https://www.stjohn.org.nz/news--info/news-articles/st-john-releases-ambulance-data-for-2021/
In USA society
Almost half of adults (46.4 percent) will experience a mental illness during their lifetime.
5 percent of adults (18 or older) experience a mental illness in any one year, equivalent to 43.8 million people.
Of adults in the United States with any mental disorder in a one-year period, 14.4 percent have one disorder, 5.8 percent have two disorders and 6 percent have three or more.
Half of all mental disorders begin by age 14 and three-quarters by age 24.
In the United States, only 41 percent of the people who had a mental disorder in the past year received professional health care or other services.
information is taken from https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/.../5-surprising.../
In the Church
Here are some statistics that may help you better understand the issue, and what people in your church may be facing.
When you survey pastors, the vast majority, 70 to 80 percent say they don’t feel adequately trained to recognize a mental health condition in a congregant.
Ninety percent of pastors provide some type of pastoral counseling, but less than 10 percent ever make a referral to professional counselors.
Less than a quarter of congregations ever develop any kind of structured approach to caring for or serving individuals with mental health problems.
23 percent of pastors acknowledge they have personally struggled with a mental illness.
49 percent of pastors say they rarely or never speak to their congregation about mental illness.
65 percent of churchgoing family members of those with mental illness want their church to talk openly about mental illness.
59 percent of those actually suffering from mental illness say the same.
53 percent of churchgoers with mental illness say the church has been supportive.
76 percent of churchgoers say suicide is a problem that needs to be addressed in their community.
32 percent of churchgoers say a close acquaintance or family member has died by suicide.
80 percent of pastors say their church is equipped to assist someone who is threatening to take his or her own life.
92 percent of pastors say their church is equipped to care for the family that experiences the suicide of a loved one.
4 percent of churchgoers who lost a loved one to suicide say church leaders were aware of their loved one’s struggles.
68 percent of Americans feel they would be welcome in church if they were mentally ill.
5 percent of Americans say mental illness could be overcome with Bible study and prayer alone.
Information is taken from - https://lifewayresearch.com/.../13-stats-on-mental.../
and https://www.churchleadership.com/.../the-church-and-the.../
For the next article in this series click here.