This is one question, I have often heard asked in the Church, especially in my Nigerian community. Your response will depend on which perspective you are looking at it from. Let’s see how we can do justice to it from both a biblical and professional perspective.
Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that we “…not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in the dark world, and against evil spirits in heavenly places.” (NLT). So, the answer to that question is yes, mental health is spiritual, as well as everything else that we must deal with in life. The moment we start to view life from the lens of Ephesians 6:12, Challenges become clearer to tackle.
In the case of mental health, what we see displayed by individuals who struggle, is their minds way of making sense of this spiritual warfare, disguised as childhood trauma, parental curses and so on. And just as God has given medical doctors the gift of being able to help patients with medical issues, on the other hand we also have those in the mental health field, who have been gifted to help individuals make sense of their world and situations. Granted, there have been a lot of stigmas around mental health but I think in the past few years we are coming to the point where people are getting informed and are therefore equipped to seek help for themselves and loved ones that may be struggling.
Just remember that it is okay to seek professional help. Now more than any other time, we have people that have been trained to cater to your mental health needs, whether Christian or non-Christian. I work in a secular setting and provide both Christian and non-Christian therapy.
Sosasmama.
OCHIENGfamily 