You can live well with bipolar disorder!
Where do churches meet people with bipolar disorder? |
What's happening for people in bipolar crisis? |
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People who are adequately treated may never show any signs of their condition. Others report experiencing extreme distress during manic episodes, and often this is accompanied by disordered thinking. In mania, and so-called mixed states, people with bipolar can experience ecstatic yet distressing delusions. Religious themes are not uncommon, for example that a sufferer is Jesus or the Virgin Mary. This seems to afflict religious and non-religious people alike. In depressive crises, the disordered thinking may again carry a religious theme, for example the erroneous belief that the person has committed certain crimes or sins. Rarely can a person in bipolar distress comprehend the concept of forgiveness or the idea of salvation. |
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How, then, shall we approach people in bipolar crisis?Prayerfully Loving wastefully Patiently Reflectively Using Mental Health First Aid, psychiatric services if available, and police if necessary for everybody's safety. |
In a bipolar crisis, let us not...Judge behaviour, even criminal or alcohol/drug behaviour Attempt to correct the person's thinking while in crisis. Attempt to get the person to reason. They can't do this for the moment. Tell the person that they will recover if, or only if, they turn to God. |
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How shall we reflect on this later?Once again, prayerfully. Reflect on unhelpful traditional Biblical interpretations of madness, and the layering of demons on saints such as Mary Magdalene. Recall the writings of St John of the Cross, particularly the distinction he makes between 'spritual dryness' and that which is 'of the world'. Praying for physical (i.e. brain chemical imbalance) healing opportunities and that the sufferer can grow spiritually as they recover from their experience. |
How shall this inform our work? |
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Many churches run hospitals, including psychiatric ones. But almost all of them operate purely to the paradigm of Western biological psychiatry. |
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| There is a dark and complex intertwining of themes in bipolar and the church. Can these be embraced in love and teased apart? Can the spiritual knowlege of the church be deployed to really heal people in bipolar distress? | ||
What do you think?These are the suggestions of an Anglican (Episcopalian) laywoman who has bipolar and has carried out extensive research into how people manage their condition. If you would like to add your experience please publisher@twotreesmedia.com |
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