The Desire To Be Seen

I wrote this for the weekly letter I send to the congregation of First Presbyterian Church of Gulf Shores, the church where I serve as Minister of Word and Sacrament. I wanted to also share it here because I believe it is such an important issue for all of us to think about, learn about, and most especially, do something about. If you are struggling with mental illness of any kind, please reach out to someone for help. If you are in danger of harming yourself, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from one of our snowbirds letting me know about a docuseries they had been watching on AppleTV. It is called The Me You Can’t See. In this series, “Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry join forces to guide honest discussions about mental health. This series features illuminating stories from across the globe, giving us the opportunity to seek truth, understanding, and a newfound hope for the future” (AppleTV). (You can watch a trailer for the series here.)

I finally got a chance to sit down and watch a couple of episodes recently and I can honestly say that the way that this series handles this discussion should be applauded. As someone who has struggled with depression and anxiety, who has many friends and family members who also battle mental illness, and one who has been certtified in Mental Health First Aid, I see the desperate need for more resources for those struggling and those caring for the struggling, as well as more education for those who don’t understand.

Did you know that in the United States in 2018, 14.8 people per 100,000 died by suicide, up from 12 per 100,000 in 2009? And in the state of Alabama that number is even higher, rising from 14.1 per 100,000 in 2009 to 16.9 per 100,000 in 2018. Between 1999 and 2016, the death rate from suicide rose 25.4%. About 48,000 people died at their own hand in 2018, making it the 10^th leading cause of death that year. What is even more frightening is this – 1.4 million people attempted to take their lives that same year.

Right after I arrived in Gulf Shores, I sat down to talk with Police Chief Edward Delmore and he shared with me that one of the hardest things for his officers is the unusually high number of suicides that they encounter here on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Living at the beach doesn’t make everything perfect.

So, why am I addressing this? Because I know that some of you are struggling – not because I know something specific, but because life has thrown many curveballs our way in recent months: pandemics, hurricanes, diagonses, death, hardship, and more. There have been times in which the church has not been helpful in the battle with mental illness – calling it a spiritual issue that just requires prayer, or saying that with God’s help we should be able to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. But that should not be, and while prayer is powerful and God does care for us, God doesn’t expect us to navigate other health issues alone, just like God does not expect us to navigate mental health issues alone. Sometimes that means medication. Sometimes that means being under the care of a certified professional. Sometimes that means just having the freedom to speak the truth about your struggle to those around you.

You are not alone. God stands with you. Those who love you support you. Those of us who also struggle understand. Don’t lose heart if this is you or someone you love. Reach out and begin the journey toward healing.