Can Mental illness (MI) ever be good? One account in the Bible shows how “MI” came in handy.
King David faked insanity to escape the enemy. David, out of fear of King Achish of Gath and his servants, “pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. (1 Samuel 21:13)”
Insanity led to David’s deliverance. “Achish said to his servants, ‘Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?’ David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam… (1 Samuel 21:14-15 & 1 Samuel 22:1)”
Other than that story, I can’t think of anything good about MI. Can you?
So that’s the good of MI. What’s the bad of MI? The bad is when it seeps into a healthy person’s psyche. Contaminating thoughts. Selling lies.
A former second grade student of mine, Alex, had exceptional language skills. Rarely had I witnessed such amazing articulation. His verbal expression even impressed his peers.
The time came for students to give an oral book report. As expected, most were nervous. Surprisingly, so was Alex. He faced his classmates frozen. Unable to speak. Why would HE be afraid to do a presentation?
It became obvious the enemy was feeding him a lie. Telling him, “You can’t do this.”
I took him out in the hall to give a pep talk. Thankfully, as a Christian educator, I could use scripture to melt his fears.
I assured him by saying, “2 Timothy 1:7 tells us God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear. What He calls us to do, He’ll enable us to accomplish. Philippians 4:13 promises, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ The truth is that God has blessed you with wonderful speaking skills. He’ll help you give your oral book report.”
Still afraid, he asked, “Can I do it tomorrow?”
I granted him permission to wait, knowing his parents would echo my words from scripture and pray with him. He did okay the next day. And remembered God’s faithfulness. In third grade he sang a solo during a Christmas concert—in front of hundreds of people.
Alex suffered a common fear: public speaking. Never before that day had he demonstrated anxiety. His behaviors weren’t a result of MI.
Some of our children suffer anxiety disorders. They face overwhelming fears which can be crippling. Or battle worries which are constant. Their symptoms aren’t temporary like those experienced by Alex.
Other forms of MI can be equally debilitating. Our children need help to overcome challenges related to their illness. Sadly, instead of support, we receive judgment from others.
The ugly truth about MI is that some people think our kids are pretending to have anxiety or depression. Assuming their behaviors can easily be controlled. Outsiders jump to wrong conclusions and pass negative judgments. “It’s a character flaw, a ploy to gain power, or manipulation to get out of doing work.” All beliefs are wrong. Anyone who has ever experienced MI would tell you they’d do anything to feel better. Sadly, our children who have MI aren’t faking it like King David did.
Another ugly truth about MI is that some people think the child should “just snap out of it.” The assumption driving such incorrect thinking is that the symptoms are temporary. Outsiders advise, “Just talk to your child and he’ll stop acting that way.” The false belief is that reasoning would be all that’s necessary to improve behavior (like it did with Alex).
God healed Alex from his irrational fear. Can our heavenly Father do the same for our children who suffer from MI? Certainly He’s able. I witnessed an extraordinary miracle in the life of an adolescent. You can read about her transformed life in the message I posted August 21, 2013 entitled ‘Anxiety.’
The wonderful Truth is that God is able to help us through our own challenges, heartaches, and loneliness of MI.
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)”
Another wonderful Truth is that Christ overcame death. May you be encouraged by that reminder of His limitless power. Be blessed by this song as you reflect on His second coming.
MI: mom 2 mom 
Thanks, getting Rituxan today and hoping school doesn’t call. Though the teacher and spec Ed teacher said they felt badly saying it, they thought my son was using his anxiety about my infusions to get out of doing work. I said, perhaps sometimes, but it is more 80% anxiety, 20% something else. What kid wouldn’t want to get out of work on days when they are really stressed? Just because our kids don’t have REASONS that seem valid to us for their anxiety, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. If it was typical anxiety/stress it would be related to circumstances. The reason it is an anxiety DISORDER is because it isn’t logical, it isn’t able to be measured from circumstances that seem valid enough for the anxiety,
Hugs,
Lisa Copen Rest Ministries Founder, Director http://RestMinistries.com Be sure to sign up at our website for our daily devotionals!
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Thanks, Lisa, for putting another face on this issue of anxiety as a disorder.
“The reason it is an anxiety DISORDER is because it isn’t logical, it isn’t able to be measured from circumstances that seem valid enough for the anxiety.”: well said!
So sad that even a special ed. teacher wouldn’t understand…proof that unless you’re going through it, no amount of training can help you completely understand. All the more reason we need to pray for our reactions to professionals involved with our kids, and for God to open their minds to understand the truth about our children.
Together in His care along our journey,
Vicki