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It is especially important for Catholics to understand the causes of mental illness, instead of judging those who suffer as lazy or at fault for some reason or other. It is even worse when believers deny their own need for help. When people cannot understand these unseen illnesses, they simply fall back on age-old admonishments, Well, we all have our cross to bear. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. You’d feel better if you went to Mass more often. What do you have to be depressed about? Have you been praying/ going to confession? Volunteer and you won’t have time to brood. No one actually believes people are to blame if they need eyeglasses to read or insulin to fight diabetes but they still heap abuse on people with depression or anxiety as if these diseases were signs of a weak character or a lack of faith. continue 

Since mental illness is as common and invisible among the faithful as it is in secular circles,  concern for mental health cannot simply be relegated to the secular sphere, especially during Mental Health Awareness month in May. I admit the topic of how and why Catholics experience mental illness might seem completely irrelevant to most Catholics. After all, many of us are too busy with daily life to actually step back and evaluate the state of our mental health objectively. Meanwhile, our fellow parishioners are just as concerned as we are that they appear healthy, happy, and whole in public. Yet, I would wager that mental health issues are  especially  prevalent among the devout who are serious about their inner life because when people tackle deep inner issues which prevent God from working in their lives, their inner equilibrium is upset by stress, anxiety, and depression. This probably explains why most saints experienced profound periods of...

In the first world countries the so-called achievement in medicine of the good death now sees its dark side. With the Mirage to avoid unbearable suffering to terminally ill, countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium modified 15 years their health and legal structures to help the dying. But this form of assistance has proved to be a trap for many seniors, disabled and mentally ill of these prosperous countries. At that time, the Catholic faith warned about the effects to our individualistic world that ignores the other so easily. spanish version on: http://mujer-catolica.blogspot.com/2016/07/el-vacio-detras-de-la-buena-muerte.html

Although most respectable members of our parishes try to  look  healthy and content in public, mental illness is as common and invisible among the faithful as it is in secular circles. I would wager that mental health issues are especially prevalent among the devout who are serious about their inner life; when people tackle deep inner issues which prevent God from working in their lives, their inner equilibrium is upset by stress, anxiety and depression. This probably explains why most saints experienced profound periods of depression when they finally looked beneath their pious actions to face the reality of their own ingrained sin and subsequent need for inner purification. continue reading