Mental Illness Archives - Rest Ministries - Chronic Illness and Pain Support

Am I a Hypochondriac If…

February 23, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

By Lisa Copen We laugh as people say, "I think I may be a hypochondriac!" but is it really a funny matter? Not so much. Am I a hypochondriac if... I get up at 2:30 AM to google a symptom I am experiencing and I start imagining all the things it could be? It is unlikely. In today's age of having immediate information at our fingertips, it is much easier to just get out of bed and start searching than to wait until morning when the doctor's office is open and then we must decide to call him or not. In the days of our parents raising their children, rather than looking for search engine results in the middle of the night, they sat at the kitchen table with the Dr. Spock book attempting to figure out the cause of certain symptoms and if … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Articles - Read, Explaining Illness, Fear, Mental Illness, Person w/ Illness, What's New?, Worry Tagged With: am i a hypochondriac, Chronic (medicine), Conditions and Diseases, Cyberchondria, Disease, Health, Hypochondriasis, Magnetic resonance imaging, Rest Ministries, worry

Making a Difference in the Lives of Soldiers With Illness, Disability, and More

August 1, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Debbi Farmer One of the privileges of writing articles to share with the members of Rest Ministries who are looking for resources to help with their particular kind of pain is finding a "hidden jewel" that can out-shine many others. "Healing our Heroes Network" is just that jewel! "Once a Hero always a Hero," however our military heroes today are only human and can suffer many kinds of wounds too complex sometimes to treat, too personal to share, and too deep to heal without help. That is where this wonderful program comes into play. The "Soldiers for Bibles Ministry" a part of Heart of God International Ministries has seen the need to bring together resources to help our heroes in one convenient location. "Healing Our Heroes … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advocacy, Links, Marriage, Mental Illness, Ministry - Personal, What's New? Tagged With: bibles for soldiers, invisible illness, Military, military chaplains, Ministry, outreach, ptsd, soldier, USA

Chonda Pierce Shares About Battling Depression

July 8, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Chonda Pierce is an amazing woman who is a Christian comedian--who has also battled depression. I hope her interview here encourages you, as there is christian help for depression & loneliness. It's always nice to see Christians who "have a lot to lose" materialistically, still stepping forward to help & sharing what it is like to live with depression. There are many christian leaders that deal with depression & the christian response for both men & women coping with depression is critical. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo6GVsoNCUc Related articles by Zemanta Comedian Chonda Pierce in the Spotlight (momblognetwork.com) … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Depression, Mental Illness, Person w/ Illness, Profiles, Videos, What's New? Tagged With: Arts, BuddyJewell, Chonda Pierce, christian depression, Depression, Disorders, Health, Major depressive disorder, Mental Health, Mood, Performing Arts, Sheila Walsh, Television, YouTube

Not the Brady Bunch – How to Live With a Bipolar Mom

May 31, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

By Libby East When I was little my family would watch reruns of the Brady Bunch & I would think "gee I wish I could have a family like that". It was so nice to think that a family's biggest problems could be whether Marsha gets class president or Jan gets to be a pom pom girl or if Cindy will find her favorite doll. And the best part about all of these problems was that they could all be solved in a thirty minute episode. Even though they were a blended family they seemed perfect in my eyes. You see my family was far from perfect. My mom is Bipolar -- Manic Depressive. I have sisters who are twins & they are five years older than me. Where did bipolar come from? I don't know. They say that they remember her being normal & … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Fear, Mental Illness, Parenting, What's New? Tagged With: art, Bipolar Disorder, Brady Bunch, Child, Christian, chronically ill mom, Family, God, Health, Home, List of The Brady Bunch characters, Marsha, Mental disorder, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Parenting, Programs, Television

Depressed? Here are some tips for mild depression

March 25, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

By Stanley Popovich Some people who have a chronic illness can get depressed. Sometimes this depression can get the best of them. As a result, here is a short list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their depression & their illness. One of the ways to manage your depression is to challenge your negative thinking with positive statements & realistic thinking. When encountering thoughts that make you fearful or depressed, challenge those thoughts by asking yourself questions that will maintain objectivity & common sense. For example, you may be afraid that you will stay depressed & things will never improve. This is not true. Things change from day to day & it is hard to predict what may happen down the road. Focus on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Depression, Fear, Mental Illness, Person w/ Illness, What's New? Tagged With: about illness ministry, anxiety, Christian, Chronic, depressed, Depression, Disorders, fear, Health, latte with lisa, Major depressive disorder, Mental Health, panic attacks, Retreats

Providing Pastoral Care to Persons with Mental Illness & Their Family

March 3, 2010 By admin 2 Comments

Rev. Rose Anne Briotte, a psychiatric chaplain in Knoxville, TN, & a member of the Mental Health Ministries Advisory Committee, has put together a brochure on "Guidelines for Clergy: Providing Pastoral Care to Persons with Mental Illness & Their Family." It is available on the Mental Health Ministries website by clicking the link above. You may also be interested in an article in The Christianity Century. It looks at the high incidence of clergy depression in clergy that can lead to suicide. Submitted by Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder, Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries. Related articles How Do I Find a Good Psychiatrist? (psychcentral.com) … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Caregiver, Church Leader, Depression, Health News, Links, Medical Professional, Mental Illness, What's New? Tagged With: bethany hamilton bio, Bible study (Christian), Brady Bunch, Christian, Daniel Cox, Depression, Good Samaritan, Health, janet dauble, Lisa Saunders, Major depressive disorder, Mental disorder, Mental Health, Ministries, Ministry, pastoral care, Rahab, Soul Surfer casting, soul surfer movie release date, Website, working with christian life coach, www.bethanyhamilton.com

New Study Finds Clergy Dismiss Depression, Anxiety The Most Often

February 25, 2010 By admin 2 Comments

This is a study that was released Sept 2009 that we are passing on to our readers. We have added the bold parts. New Study Finds Clergy Dismiss Depression, Anxiety The Most Often Released: 9/30/2009 11:50 AM EDT Source: Baylor University Newswise — In 2008, a Baylor University study found nearly a third of those who approached their local church for assistance in response to a personal or family member’s diagnosed mental illness were told by their church pastor that they or their loved one did not really have a mental illness. Baylor researchers have now built upon that research & have found that depression & anxiety are the mental illnesses that are dismissed the most often. Research consistently shows that clergy – not … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Caregiver, Church Leader, Depression, Explaining Illness, Health News, Hurt Feelings, Mental Illness, Need to Know, Person w/ Illness, Statistics, What's New? Tagged With: Bipolar Disorder, caring for ill in church, Christian, Church Leadership, Depression, disabilities, elders, Faith, Health, Herbal tea, hospital visitation, Illness, Live attenuated influenza vaccine, Major depressive disorder, Mary E. Siegel, Mental disorder, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Ministry, Ministry - Personal, parish nurses, pastoral care, pastors, PhD, Psychology, stephen minister, stephen ministry

Share Your Ideas for Ministering to Those with Mental Illness with Mental Health Ministries

February 23, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder, the Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries, has shared that she frequently hears about "congregations & community groups developing innovative & creative ministries." She would like to include what you are doing in the “Your Ideas” section of her web site Mental Health Ministries . You are invited to send a paragraph describing your ministry to Susan at sgschroed@cox.net. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Church Leader, Depression, Health News, Links, Mental Illness, What's New? Tagged With: Directories, Health, Lisa Saunders, Mental Health, Mount Sinai, Policy and Advocacy, share care and prayer, United States, Website

Amazing Resources of Mental Illness Ministry Conference Now Free Downloads

February 18, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

We are always excited to learn about additional resources regarding mental illness & Christian support, so we are happy to be able to pass along this information to you. Presentations from the national summit, "Companions on the Road to Recovery from Mental Illness: Pathways for the 21st Century," are now available on-line as free downloads. (This is a pdf) It was held in October of 2009 in St. Louis, MO. The conference agenda is posted on pathways2promise.org with embedded links to some 20 of the presentations from the conference. Reprinted with permission by Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder, Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Church Leader, Depression, Health News, Links, Medical Professional, Mental Illness, Podcasts, Support Group Leader, What's New? Tagged With: australia, Battle of Jericho, Bible study (Christian), Christian, chronic pains, Church, Depression, Good Samaritan, Health, Herbal tea, Illness, Mental disorder, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Ministries, Mount Sinai, Mountain View Cemetery, pathways to promise, Policy and Advocacy, prayer request, Rahab, resources, Thought

4 New Resouces for Including Spirituality in Treatment of Mental Illness

February 12, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

If you are looking for resources/study guides for clergy & communities of faith, Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder, Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries has written four, in response to the many questions & requests for information that she has received from persons who want to include spirituality as an important part of the treatment & recovery process. She shares. . . Surveys show that over forty percent of Americans seeking help with mental health issues turn first to ministers, priests & rabbis. This is twice as many as those who went first to a psychiatrist, psychologist or family physician. Unfortunately, the response of clergy & congregations falls significantly short of what parishioners expect of their faith … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advocacy, Caregiver, Church Leader, Depression, Links, Medical Professional, Mental Illness, Need to Know, Our Best Tips, Person w/ Illness, Support Group Leader, What's New? Tagged With: Antarctica, Bible study (Christian), care, chronic pain disorder, chronic pains, Daniel Cox, Emperor Penguin, Epistle to the Hebrews, Faith, Family, Good Samaritan, Health, Hospital, Illness, Illnesses, India, Kleenex, Lisa Saunders, Madonna (entertainer), Mental disorder, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Ministries, Mount Sinai, Multiple chemical sensitivity, Noah, Parable of the Good Samaritan, Parable of the Lost Sheep, pastoral care, Praise the Lord, Rahab, resources, Steve Green, United States, what can a life coach do, Winston Churchill, working with christian life coach, Wound

Survey Shows Few Pastors “Deal with” the Mentally Ill

August 30, 2009 By admin 2 Comments

A survey of 1,031 United Methodist pastors in Indiana & Virginia was done in 2000. We know the study is not recent, but very few studies like this exist. This study from Indiana University East & Ball State University showed that United Methodist pastors agree the church "should become more involved in education about mental illness & families affected by the disease, but few deal with the mentally ill on a regular basis." Joan LaFuze, the medical physiologist & professor at IU East who initiated the survey was not surprised by the results. She & her husb& are life-long Methodists & they have a son who was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1981. A year later their daughter diagnosed with panic disorder. "I can't describe what … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Church Leader, Depression, Mental Illness, Need to Know, Support Group Leader, What's New? Tagged With: Ball State University, congregational care, Health, how does the church explain mental illness, Mental disorder, Mental Health, Mental Health America, mental illness in the church, mental illness ministries, methodist, National Alliance on Mental Illness, pastors and mental illness, pathways to promise, Policy and Advocacy, Virginia