Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church's Mission

by Amy Simpson, Marshall Shelley (Foreword)

The 2014 Christianity Today Book Award Winner (Her.meneutics)
Winner of a 2013 Leadership Journal Book Award ("Our Very Short List" in "The Leader's Outer Life" category)

Mental illness is the sort of thing we don't like to talk about. It doesn't reduce nicely to simple solutions and happy outcomes. So instead, too often we reduce people who are mentally ill to caricatures and ghosts, and simply pretend they don't exist. They do exist, however -- statistics suggest that one in four people suffer from some kind of mental illness. And then there's their friends and family members, who bear their own scars and anxious thoughts, and who see no safe place to talk about the impact of mental illness on their lives and their loved ones. Many of these people are sitting in churches week after week, suffering in stigmatized silence. In Troubled Minds Amy Simpson, whose family knows the trauma and bewilderment of mental illness, reminds us that people with mental illness are our neighbors and our brothers and sisters in Christ, and she shows us the path to loving them well and becoming a church that loves God with whole hearts and whole souls, with the strength we have and with minds that are whole as well as minds that are troubled.

Genres: Psychology, Mental Health, Nonfiction, Counselling, Christian, Theology, Health

222 pages, Paperback

First published March 6, 2013

About the author

Amy Simpson is a passionate leader, communicator, and coach who loves to encourage people to discern and fulfill their calling in this life.

She works as an author, a personal and professional coach, a speaker, a freelance writer, and an editor. She has been writing for 20 years, authoring numerous resources for Christian ministry, including her newest book, "Anxious: Choosing Faith in a World of Worry," and the award-winning "Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission."

As a coach, Simpson is trained and certified (CPCC) through The Coaches Training Institute, the industry’s most rigorous and highly respected training program. She also holds an English degree from Trinity International University and an MBA from the University of Colorado and has more than 20 years of experience as a creative professional, corporate leader, and executive.

A former publishing executive, Amy Simpson serves as senior editor of Leadership Journal. Her background includes a unique career path through both the editorial and business sides of publishing, including for-profit and nonprofit organizational leadership.

She has published articles in Leadership Journal, Christianity Today, Today’s Christian Woman, Relevant, PRISM Magazine, Her.meneutics, ThinkChristian, Christian Singles, Group Magazine, and several others. She has worked for Tyndale House Publishers, Group Publishing, Standard, Gospel Light, Lifeway, Focus on the Family, Christianity Today, and others.

She is married with two children and lives in the suburbs of Chicago.

Reviews

[James Housworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a difficult book to read. I bought it thinking it would be a hopeful, realistic, practical guide to understanding mental illness from a Christian perspective. It’s more of a wake up call, gut-check to the stomach type of book.

In accomplishing that purpose (giving the church a wake up call), I thought the author did really well. She provides example after example of the heart-wrenching stories, questions with no satisfactory answers, and constant struggle of people who live with mental illness. It’s impossible to make it all the way through this book without having a bigger, wider, and more compassionate view of people who battle with this day in and day out.

What I’d hoped for a lot more of, however, was hopefulness and practicality. Is there anything I can DO when someone is caught in an impossible situation of mental instability? How does somebody with mental illness parse through the disease to find spiritual clarity? How do we approach God when mental illness clouds our reason? As somebody who struggles with mental health and knows many others who have, these are the types of questions I was hoping to read about. But this just isn’t that kind of book.

Give this book to someone who doesn’t think mental illness is real, or isn’t very widespread, or doesn’t affect “real Christians”. Don’t give it someone who is struggling with it themselves.

[Jonathan Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Troubled Minds, as other reviewers have noted, is part-memoir, part-treatise, part-counsel. Amy Simpson, the author, grew up in a pastor's family, one of several siblings; but, as time went on, it became apparent that her mother was beginning to suffer from schizophrenia, a fact that soon came to dominate their household dynamics and the way they related with their church (and compelled her father to eventually step down from ministry to care for her better). At one point, her mother, in the grip of persistent delusion, began thinking she was hearing secret messages in the sermons that lured her to the occult. (In more recent years, Amy's mother has broken free of those particular delusions, renounced the occult, and recommitted herself to the Christian faith.)

As a result of Amy's familial background, and the fact that she moves in circles that include other families supporting sufferers of mental illness, she's able to draw on a wealth of personal experience - her own, her relatives', and others' - to lend insight into what it's like to deal with mental illness, what it's like to support someone with mental illness, what it's like to engage the church on the topic of mental illness.

Here, she provides a mixed picture, but stresses the negative: how reluctant many churches are to discuss mental illness with the same honesty and compassion they would for any other illness. She quips that mental illnesses are "no-casserole" conditions - the sort that inspire avoidance, not practical acts of care. She notes that, while many churches have support groups aimed at a variety of other life circumstances, only the smallest minority offer any explicitly for sufferers of mental illness and their loved ones. (See especially the fifth chapter, "Church Life," as well as the sixth chapter, "Ministry Life.")

A damning fact, considering the incidence rates of mental illnesses in today's society: "about one in four adults ... suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year" (33). A survey Amy conducted of over five hundred church leaders in 2010 revealed that 98% had seen some sort of mental illness in their congregation: 91% had seen a mood disorder (e.g., depression), 84% had seen an anxiety disorder, and 37% said someone in their congregation had suffered from a psychotic disorder. Over a third of these church leaders indicated they themselves had suffered from a mood disorder, 23% had suffered an anxiety disorder, and 9% had suffered an impulse control or addiction disorder (54-55).

Throughout the book, and not without justification (though rather tiresome), she persistently inveighs against the stigmatization of mental illnesses of all varieties, and their use as a source of humor or fear in popular culture. And yet she is honest enough to describe hard cases of sufferers of mental illness behaving quite inappropriately in the church, including a church dealing with a verbally abusive schizophrenic lurking around the church, and another church with a member with borderline personality disorder who caused great havoc and dissension, and yet another church visited by a disruptive man with a messiah complex. Amy grants that "some people with mental illness can be highly disruptive and that their behavior affects the community. How do church leaders minister to the whole congregation when these things happen?" (128). One only wishes she had clearer answers to offer.

But, for what it's worth, perhaps the most infuriating (and rightly so) chapters of her book was the fourth ("Coping"), which was a brutally honest look at the modern mental healthcare system.

In some ways, the memoir-like elements of the book are the strongest; and, indeed, the ninth and final chapter ("What God Does") consists entirely of testimonies Amy has gathered of people who credit God for working in and through their adverse mental health situations.

To this, she adds a lengthy segment of the second chapter ("Mental Illness is Mainstream") that sketches out the major classifications of mental illnesses (anxiety disorders, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, eating disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, and schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders), illustrating each with a thoroughly illustrative story that, in the end, touches on the impact for the sufferer's loved ones.

And Amy also excels when noting, from a Christian perspective, the spiritual confusion that can be a side effect of a variety of mental illnesses: "Accurately understanding deep spiritual truths can be, on occasion, impossible. For people with psychosis, like my mother, mysterious spiritual matters may become fodder for complex delusions. For people with personality disorders, the concept of personal sin and repentance may be hard to fathom. Those suffering with mood and anxiety disorders may be momentarily unable to grasp the truth about God's love and grace" (117).

To me, as a pastor, the chapter I was waiting for was the eighth: "What Churches Can Do." I was, I admit, somewhat disappointed. Most of her recommendations seemed hopelessly general - or else geared toward caring for those with the more 'common' mental illnesses of clinical depression and anxiety disorders, with relatively few offering clear guidelines for those prone to psychotic episodes or personality disorders. (Even in this chapter, the almost the first half just describes the origins of mental health support groups at three churches [166-179].)

The first two recommendations only apply if the pastor, or one of the pastor's family members, has a struggle with mental illness to address or share. The third recommendation is simply for the pastor to become better acquainted with mental health resources. The fourth is to "make a determined and intentional effort to rid your church of the stigma and shame associated with mental illness" (181), and the fifth is like unto it: to "discuss mental health openly" in the context of classes, sermons, and public prayers (182). The sixth recommendation is to encourage relationships, as Amy has noted that her parents told her "how helpful it is when curious people ask questions, learning about their experiences and seeking common ground" (183). The seventh recommendation is to just ask what you can do to help - she lists a few practical examples, such as "organize meal delivery, visit someone in a psychiatric hospital, find a ride to a medical appointment, provide childcare, get the kids to school" (184). The eighth recommendation is to be consistently present, which includes walking alongside a person and his/her mental health care provider, because spiritual needs don't cease when therapy or medication begin (185). The ninth recommendation is to "radiate acceptance", which rather overlaps with others already mentioned. The tenth is to "be patient," acknowledging that "much mental illness is never 'resolved' but can be managed" (186). And the eleventh - somewhat a callback to the seventh - is to "help with practical needs" - under which heading, she suggests that churches start funds to assist with the expenses of medications (187-188). Clearly, Amy's acquaintance is with churches with much higher budgets than those of my experience! The twelfth recommendation is for pastors to confer with counselors, either to get general advice or, with signed permission from the patient, to discuss their case in its particulars (189). The thirteenth recommendation is to "draw boundaries and stick to them," because "just because someone is mentally ill, you don't need to suspend standards of morality, biblical theology, or respectful behavior in your church community. Overlooking inappropriate behavior or beliefs is destructive to your congregation, and it does no favors for the mentally ill" (190). The fourteenth recommendation is to encourage small groups (190-191). The fifteenth, perhaps one of the more useful, is simply to know when you're in over your head - to be able and willing to make a referral, keeping a list of trusted professionals and their specialties, and noting that "if someone in your church is in danger or is endangering another person, always call 911" (191). Other recommendations include using resources {#16}, starting a support group {#17}, or starting a professional counseling ministry {#18}.

Not too bad as general guidelines, but when she phrased them as recommendations, I expected more of them to be concrete and, well, helpful. Some are good for cultivating a general culture of acceptance; some are good for extending hospitality and showing love; some are good for support, but seem to assume a conventional American middle-class lifestyle as the backdrop. Certainly that was her realm of personal experience, but for pastors dealing with impoverished, shut-in, or even homeless sufferers of mental illness who aren't in professional care, wouldn't be able to afford professional care, or wouldn't be willing to utilize professional care - well, there's still good general advice here, yet little that feels like it hits the nail on the head.

But Amy is certainly right about one thing: "I believe Christ is calling his church to a great outpouring of love, overflowing from the bottomless well of living water he has placed within each of his people. I believe he wants that love to reach people with mental illness and lift them in a great wave of healing and hope - right where they are, among those our society considers untouchable, avoidable, and justifiably condemned to the fringes" (196).

Even in the present, Amy detects God-given "glimpses of the glory to come," through which God "changes people from the inside out, and he infuses our stumbling, bumbling, ridiculous efforts to serve him with effective, graceful revelations of himself that somehow cause ripples in the world around us. Our hope for the present is in Jesus and his work in and through us. Sometimes that work brings healing; sometimes it brings a new and deeper perspective on pain. Sometimes it knocks down prison walls that will never be rebuilt. Regardless, it always redeems" (201).

And Amy rightly looks forward to the era promised in the gospel when "our thoughts and perceptions will no longer be distorted by pain, grief, selfishness, greed, depression, anxiety, psychosis, or pride. ... I can't wait to worship alongside my mom and so many other daughters and sons of God who will have come through deep and acidic waters to see his face clearly" (200). Exactly the right thing to look forward to and hope for, and a clear reminder of why the church's mission cannot exclude sufferers of mental illness: because "deep and acidic waters" are neither too deep nor too acidic for Christ to walk across.

[Kevin Deisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I wanted to write and am so glad that someone finally wrote it. The church is often the first and last place people turn to for help in mental health crisis and this book is a great resource that every church leader should read.

[Faith Spinks · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, thought provoking read. Mental health is a reality. It’s a reality in every walk of life. Although this book focuses on the Church it is a useful read for people in all sorts of context. A very real understanding of what mental health is and the issues surrounding it. And also an understanding of how too often the Church responds to people and their families with mental health issues, how they should and some very practical ideas for taking it further.

[Adrian Warnock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy Simpson bravely shares her own story of how her mother’s mental health affected her upbringing. She speaks of not feeling she could tell any of her friends about her mother’s mental illness. Troubled Minds also weaves in experiences shared by other Christians, and shares the results of a survey of church leaders on the subject. This is an excellent book for those who have no understanding of mental illness, but it also has a great message for those who do already have experience in the area. There is a real power in stories. This book will help you humanize those suffering from these conditions, much like certain movies set out to do. Reading was a riveting experience, and I even found a tear forming in my eye at some points.

It is hard for many Christians to relate to mental illness because it is something that is not openly or frequently spoken about. It is brave of Amy to share her experiences, and we are grateful to her mother for giving her permission to make this inspiring story public. It is not surprising that most people with mental illness do not feel that they can share in a similar way. Mental illness is a painful part of the lives of those who have experienced it in themselves or have loved ones with a psychiatric diagnosis. It is not always appropriate to share such pain broadly with others. Not everybody has to live like a celebrity does where privacy simply doesn’t exist. It is often very unwise to publicly announce that you suffer from such an illness due to the stigma that still surrounds this, in all our communities. We therefore benefit all the more from those who carefully decide they are called to speak openly about their condition for the good of others.

Unfortunately, many people feel unable to share the pain that mental illness causes even with their pastors or close friends. When people like Amy Simpson bravely tell their stories, it will surely help others at least feel able to seek support. Maybe one day we will feel as ready to share openly that we or a loved one is mentally ill as we currently would if the problem was a heart attack. I doubt that day will swiftly come, nor perhaps should it. But, I do hope that mental illness will cease being the hidden illness that nobody speaks about.

Amy’s book is uncomfortable reading at times as she points out some of the shortcomings of the approaches of both the typical church and psychiatric services. We can all learn to do much better than we do currently.
Amy’s book is also full of hope. It is vital for people, especially in the middle of an acute episode, to realize that for most people there really is a way back from even the most severe attacks. Doctor’s may not be able to cure mental illness, but it often does respond well to medical treatment. How tragic that so many Christians suffer in silence rather than seeking such help.

Troubled Minds also outlines how some churches have developed thriving ministries to those with mental illness. She recommends considering starting support groups for those who either suffer themselves or have family members with a mental illness. She also suggests that church pastors should attempt to forge strong partnerships with psychiatrists and therapists (whether Christian or not) for the benefit of members who suffer in this way. So often patient’s medical care is not well coordinated, and pastors may feel that if a person is seeing a specialist there is nothing that they can do to contribute. This could hardly be further from the truth.

In response to this great book I am hosting a site-wide conversation about Mental Illness on Patheos:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/adrianwa...

Amy Simpson will also join me live on Wednesday 15th May at 12:00pm Eastern Time for a video discussion about her book and mental illness more generally. You can join us here:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/adrianwa...

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nearly everyone is touched by mental illness – directly or indirectly – at some point. 1 in 4 people are suffering from a mental illness at any time, and the figure is higher for those who have at some point during their life. Antipsychotics are the best-selling class of drugs in the US. Nearly every church has recognized mental illness in its congregation, and yet the vast majority do nothing to care for those suffering, and don’t know how to care for them. Some can even make it worse. Ours is supposed to be a community where the hurting, broken and sin-scarred find rest and redemption; where everyone present owns up to being a hurting, broken and sin-scarred individual, rescued from the ultimate death, the ultimate suffering – which we deserve – by the grace of God. An outstanding and challenging book. Some things I don’t think of as mental illness and there are things we can address and help people manage. I think our Lutheran theology helps us address this in a meaningful manner. I am convicted for not having been aware of sensitive enough.

[Darcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Something is deeply wrong with the perspective of the church that welcomes only the attractive,desire able, and like-minded. A quick glance at the contrast to Jesus' ministry on earth should be enough to convince us that we are not her to be as comfortable as possible. We are not her for the sake of our own achievement, success, or happiness. We are here to fulfill the wishes of the one who bought our lives with his own."
Instinctively, as a sufferer of chronic, major depression, I do not trust the church to help me feel whole. Hopefully, if enough people in leadership read this book, and books like it, church may be less a pull-yerself-up-by-yer-bootstraps-dangitt sort of place, and more the home of God's infinite grace. Sure mental illness may be a result of The Fall, but those suffering from such illness or the families that suffer its effects, are not the CAUSE of The Fall, and should be embraced, not condemned.

[Karla Owen foisy · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh. Amy Simpson's family has struggled with her mom's mental illness for most of Amy's life. She describes not only how her family dealt with it, but how the church responded. She continues her story, to illustrate how the church could minister to those with mental illness (and their families). The book has a slew of good ideas, and I enjoyed reading those sections, but she spends much time on describing/explaining mental illnesses and diagnoses, and I felt this section was too long and unnecessary. The book, in my opinion, would best have been written with the goal to educate churches on starting a mental health ministry, or as a memoir (relating her own life story and helping us to see clearly into the life of a family struggling through mental illness) or a teaching tool to educate about mental illness, but not all three. Too long and burdensome. Too much information with no clear audience in mind. Or too many audiences in mind.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really practical, really needed, certainly recommended. A good place to start if you see the need for the church to look at how to help those dealing with mental illness.

Only 4 stars because I preferred Simonetta Carrs book.

[Frederick Eaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful treatment on this important and often ignored subject.

[JoLynn H · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate Simpson's purpose and desire to shed light on issues facing the church in caring for those impacted by mental illness. However, the execution is lacking.

[Georgia Raaf]

Very informative and insightful. It offered many perspectives and examples which were eye opening. If you want to better understand mental illness, definitely read this book.

[Madison Boboltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book for my Abnormal Psychology class and had the opportunity to skype with the author. This book is so educational and important. I️ recommend I️t to any Christian who cares to see the church do a better job loving those who suffer in any shape or form from mental illness.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best thing about the book is that it helped to put several things into perspective that I have been thinking about lately. First it helped to solidify the idea that counseling psychology is one of our modern Baals and has crept into the church in a horribly evil way.

Second, the world is doing a better job of taking care of the people in our churches who are suffering from brain damage. They are doing a terrible job, but they are doing better, badly, than we are not doing at all. While Mrs. Simpson is wrong about how to help, she is very correct about the need to help.

Third, the church needs to do a better job of figuring out which things people suffer from that are the result of brain damage, and which are the result of worldly, ungodly, and idolatrous thinking, feeling, and acting. The phrase "mental illness" is not really helpful. Not all behavioral problems are the result of brain damage; or even related to the brain at all.

I have a difficult time recommending this book because the presuppositions are not Christian. The author assumes that psychology has answers, which it doesn't. In addition, as she works her way through the book. the author contradicts herself so much that sometimes it is difficult to know what she actually thinks. For example, in the beginning of the book she says when her mother had trouble, the church didn't do anything to help her family. Then, later, she said that all of her family was greatly encouraged and helped by the attention of the church. Another example is that she wants us to use psychology in the church, but then has a whole chapter detailing the shortcomings of psychology.

[Hannah Notess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of what has gone wrong with churches' attempts to minister (okay, minister is a generous word) to people with mental illness, and some great suggestions about how churches can improve. Very readable and well-written, with a nice balance between personal stories of families (the author's mother has schizophrenia) and practical, research-backed information.

I think this book would be useful for just about any pastor.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a book that every church leader and member needs to read. There are a lot of misconceptions, some of which are down right dangerous, about mental illness which continue to permeate the larger church body. This is a book that is easy to read and packed full of information about mental illness and what the church's role needs to be going forward.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy, yet educated read to help others have an understanding of mental illness and the feeling of loneliness in the church. Sadly, I could relate to many of the short stories. Amy Simpson, thank you for having the courage to share your story and encouraging us to make a change in our community.

[Philip Meinel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little bit of therapy for me, bringing back childhood memories. It challenged my emotional stability at times, but to no fault of the author. We need to talk more openly about mental illness, about how we choose to manage these illnesses and our responses. As I read, I did find myself defending the "negative" reactions of those who encounter serious mental illness that is not familiar to them. I know the author was just trying to show the need for talking more openly and offering support, but sometimes it felt like a complaining session and repetitive reasoning why "they" need to change. Just like a mentally ill person may never significantly "change", we still continue to love them and minister to them...so also a person who shuns mentally ill people may never significantly "change". And we have to be OK with that too. We each act according to the grace given us by God. We are not called to force our new sanctified level onto someone else, but to help them discover what God is already saying to them (and remind them of the Gospel). Each journey is our own, but we help each other find the path. We all act on learned coping mechanisms which more naturally conform to the pattern of this world, and need redirection back to God. All these things seem easy to discern in warm house and a comfortable chair, but very hard to do when the situation arises. I will continue to work for God with this area of ministry in mind. Looking forward to discussing this book with a group from our church in April. May God make our path clear in time as we seek His help and seek unity in the Church. We need God and we need each other...all the others. I loved the stories of all the good that came from these trials, for both the people with mental illness and those that are supporting them. God is good.

[Nancy Dragoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone said on Instagram yesterday that their goal in 2018 is to make the broken feel less broken. Yes! Could there be a better mission for the church? But despite being hope for many types of brokenness, for many individuals with mental illness and their families, the church often contributes to the stigma of mental illness and feelings of isolation.

Sometimes the stigma described by the author was difficult to read as it brought back so many memories of being "that family" in the church when I was growing up. Despite active involvement in the church, when a family member was ill, we endured whispers, looks, and isolation. When you watch casseroles and support being offered for every type of hurt and brokenness except the one your family is going through, it's hard.

This book increased my resolve to make sure that families and individuals in the church feel loved and cared for. The church has made so much progress with addiction and other types of brokenness, but as the author points out, the church in general lags behind society in reaching out to those with mental illness and their families. Hopefully, this book will book will be a wake-up call for some within the church. As we know, it only takes a few folks being friendly for a church to be perceived as friendly. And it will only take a few in the church to begin to change minds and attitudes about ministry to those affected by mental illness. When one in four has a mental illness and each of them has hurting family members, you can only imagine the silent pain that sits in the pews every week.

Today, resources abound and there is no better example of leadership in this area or ready resources than Rick Warren's Saddleback site. Check it out here: http://hope4mentalhealth.com/

[Will Turner]

"Two Problems with Simpson's argument: 1. she is far too hard on the church while proving far too easy on the medical / science / psychology fields. 2. she presents a false dichotomy between the physical and spiritual. Humanity is whole - both physical and spiritual. Mental illness affects us holistically. People cannot be separated. She makes too strict of distinctions between physical and spiritual."

It would be a worthwhile question to consider how much has changed in 10 years. In 2023 the book will be 10 years old. Personally, I believe the church has risen to the occasion. The church in many ways has answered the call. On the other hand, as always, there is more work to be done. There will always be more work this side of paradise.

I also have to say, in my experience, the medical field is far more clueless and unhelpful than what is presented in Simpson's work. Having experienced this "field" in and near a major US city, the systemic brokenness is starkly and painfully apparent. In short, it's a mess. It's not just hard to navigate, as Simpson says, it's a broken, chaotic, often careless mess. You are a number and nothing more. Places that are meant to help are closer in semblance to prisons than to grace filled institutions of love and care.

And it's exactly at this point where the church must exist. Yes, professionals can help, but in my experience they will not advocate. And an advocate is exactly what someone suffering from mental illness needs. They need someone to step up and stand in for them. The medical field does not do this. The church must. In fact, the church is uniquely situated to advocate in ways the medical field never could.

May the church be aware and attentive to all the opportunities before us.

[Lindsey Hoobler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about mental illness and the Church’s response. Anyone involved in church ministry should read this book. So many both inside and outside of the Church are affected by mental illness, and this book is a helpful introduction to both the problem and solution.

The author summarized her book best on page 19: “This is not a clinical work or an academic tome. It‘s not a gripe session or a tirade against the church. It’s a book that the church needs because of both its practicality and its stories. It‘s filled with personal stories of those affected by mental illness, as well as helpful information about mental illness and how it is treated in the church.”

Why this book is important, from page 96: “It’s critical for churches to understand the experiences of suffering people and their families so they understand how to come alongside them. These are real people—25 percent of our population and everyone who loves them. They deserve better. We can’t change everything about the suffering of mental illness and its treatments. We can’t take mental illness away. But we can do better in the church. We can extend the humanizing, loving friendship every hurting person needs.”

[Crystal Dwinnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this as one persons experience was interesting however reading it as a required book academically I found it incredibly disappointing. I think the authors perspectives of the role of the church in mental health care is too high of an expectation. Individuals with mental illness need counsel and care by professionals, the church cannot take the place of that. While the author never explicitly suggests that it does seem to be her expectation. Can the church do a better job understanding mental illness and how to interact with those suffering and their caregivers? Absolutely, I'm just not sure I entirely agree with the authors suggestions or expectations.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid intro to the church’s mission to care for those with mental illness. Would be great for a small-group study or adult education class in a church.

I found that it felt somewhat dated, though, less than a decade later, having been written to a specific kind of church context, and I also struggled at times with some of the theological assumptions about sin and mental health issues, though the author is for the most part quite solid. It just didn’t have quite the nuance I would really be looking for in that area - but then again, that wasn’t the point of the book.

[Eleanor Shepherd · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seemed to me that this book only scratched the surface of the subject and that there is a whole lot more that needs to be written. It is extremely complicated and there needs to be some deep theological thinking to accompany this in the same way that there needs to be for dealing with any kinds of ills. The writing of this book is certainly a step in the right direction in helping to acknowledge a problem that has long been ignored.

[Robin Gough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this thinking it would be a reference book - a guide for helping churches navigate mental health. As I read it, it became clear that it was more than that. The author brings the reader through her own experience with her mom’s mental health and the church’s response.
I had many moments of shaking my head because of the boneheaded reactions of the church. But it was a wake up call to the reality of mental health and how the church should respond.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about real life and the struggle of dealing with depression. I so much appreciate Amy's honesty about her family and her journey about helping others learn how to care in difficult circumstances. This is a must read for anyone because someone we know struggles with depression or you are looking for help yourself.

[Jillian Michaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference book on basic mental illnesses. I found the practical advice in regards to what the Church can do to support people with mental illnesses and those who have loved ones who suffer from mental illnesses really helpful and useful, and have taken note for future reference and ideas for my own ministry. I only took a star away because of the stories that sometimes ran together.

[Katy Ghoul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this and it helped me grasp a lot of truths I needed to hear to help me understand my husband’s illness better. I think the author is a bit more evangelical and okay with women clergy...but over all there are many good nuggets in this book and it was helpful to help me realize some ways I was failing my husband in his struggles.

[Loredana Ulici · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you face adversity just because you are 'different' (you suffer from a certain disease or you are co-dependent to an addiction) it is very difficult to give all the expected answers.
This book helped me to be more aware of the fact that I have learnt a lesson and I have some answers with me. Which might be helpful for others.

[Joshua Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m very glad I’ve read this book. The amount of profound stories illustrating just what it is like to live with mental illness, or to care for those who do, was humbling and motivating. Simpson gives excellent ways the church can grow in her care for those suffering among us that inspire both repentance and hope.