Category Archives: Depression

Updated: Families impacted by depression…How can the church help?

Society still places a stigma on mental illness, but Christians make it worse, he said, by “over-spiritualizing” depression and other disorders — dismissing them as a lack of faith or a sign of weakness. Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Depression, Families, Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Treatment doesn’t eliminate the need for ongoing support…

Clearly, good treatment can help the vast majority of kids and families impacted by mental illness. But treatment doesn’t always work as well as we would hope in the fallen, messed-up world we live in. And families need our support through every step of their journey. Continue reading

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If churches knew how many people mental illness impacts, they’d be more interested in reaching them

The segment of the population impacted by disability, especially families impacted by mental illness, trauma and developmental disabilities, would in my mind represent the ultimate “low-hanging fruit” for local churches Continue reading

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What Perry Noble’s admission says about mental illness, stigma and church

What’s fascinating (from a psychiatrist’s perspective) about Perry’s experiences is the progression he went through over a period of years in his attitudes regarding mental illness and what they may have to say about levels of stigma in the church related to mental health treatment. Continue reading

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What does “executive functioning” have to do with kids and church?

Through identifying the other challenges executive functioning weaknesses present to a person’s ability to maintain an ongoing pattern of involvement with a local church, we hope to assist leaders in designing ministry environments and developing supports to welcome kids and families who were “unsuccessful” in previous experiences of church and strengthen their connection to the local church once they become attenders. Continue reading

Posted in ADHD, Autism, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Intellectual Disabilities, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Christmas struggles for kids with mental health issues

Kids with common mental health conditions react to the holidays very differently than do adults. Today, we’ll look at three struggles common during Christmas break among the kids and families we serve, and suggest practical strategies for parents to minimize the impact of the holidays upon their children. Continue reading

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What I learned at the child psychiatry meetings…

I thought I’d share some brief summaries of several studies I found interesting… Continue reading

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The unchurched…Churches don’t welcome people with mental illness

We likely have a minimum of 25 million adults with mental illness who don’t attend church. If the majority of those 25 million adults believe they won’t be welcomed at church, WE HAVE A REALLY BIG PROBLEM.
Continue reading

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If this were your kid…

I’ll try to share some general answers to the “If this were your kid” question pertaining to medication on the basis of diagnosis and clinical presentation. Continue reading

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How long will my child need medication?

We’d like to think that medication can be a temporary tool to help kids through a rough patch of development. Sometimes that’s true. Sometimes it’s not. Continue reading

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