Oftentimes, as a practicing mental health professional, I am asked: when should a person see a clinical professional, seek the help of friends and family, or seek help from priesthood leadership in regards to medical mental health issues? I can say that from both a personal perspective and as a mental health counselor such questions are very complex, and it is important to be sensitive both to individual needs and the situation. Having said that, there are some very clear directives when mental health assistance should be considered. All of us at various times in our lives will face complex and difficult life situations that can bring sadness, loss, anxiety, confusion, and concern into our lives. More often than not, such situations and feelings are part of this mortal existence and can be worked through by the guidance, direction, and comfort from family, friends, and Church leadership.
There are, however, times when the emotions of sadness, anxiety, loss, and confusion move from the realm of difficulty into the more complex reality of medical mental health. A key factor in identifying when it becomes more of a medical mental health issue is when such emotions as sadness, loss, anxiety, and confusion interfere with one’s ability to participate in normal life activities as they have done in the past.
For example, if the sadness reaches a point where the emptiness never seems to lift and a person just wants to stay home or stay in bed, then the issues of sadness may have moved into the medical mental condition of clinical depression. If anxious thoughts become obsessive and move from feeling uncertain or uncomfortable to pressured speech, compulsions, difficulty breathing, and feeling unable to engage with others, the feelings of nervousness may have moved into the medical condition of anxiety. If there are such thoughts as no longer wanting to be here or if one may think life would be better without them, then the feeling of loss and confusion may have moved in the medical mental health issue of suicidal ideation. When such emotions or ideas interfere with daily life, it is important to see a mental health professional to identify the potential of a behavioral health issue that may need medical mental intervention.
Having said that, I find it so fascinating how often individuals come into my office and say, “Dr. Kane, I have this, and I have that.” I think, "So if you know what you have, why did I go to school all of those years?”
More often that not, when they tell me what they have and I read to them the criteria for what they say they have, they go, “Oh, I do not have that,” which then allows us to move to where we need to be in the counseling process. And that is an effective place to be.
Leaders, family, and friends are a great support system for both nonmedical mental health issues and medical mental health issues. For those who are dealing with medical mental health issues, it is important to understand that friends, family, and Church leadership may not have the professional experience to deal with complicated mental health issues.
When there are diagnoses of medical mental health issues, it is important to seek professional help designed to treat these issues while allowing family, friends, and Church leaders to offer support. It is crucial to remember that although Church leaders have desires to help and support individuals within their community who experience medical mental health issues, they are not in the position to act as mental health providers and also may not have the professional training to treat medical mental health issues. They can offer encouragement, spiritual guidance, priesthood blessings, direction, and counsel. It is so important for both the member and for the leader not to cross boundaries into the medical mental health treatment arena. If such happens, more often than not both the individual seeking help and the leader trying to help can feel frustrated and unsure what to do.
The other critical factor to consider in regards to medical mental health is that having a medical mental health issue does not mean there is something wrong with you. It is so interesting that when a person has diabetes we do not wonder what is wrong with that person; but if a person has depression, we might. Diabetes and depression are very real and both are very treatable. There is nothing “wrong” with either person who has either diagnosis. Medical mental health issues are as physiologically real as medical physical issues. Both need professional help, and both also need to be appropriately supported by family, friends, and Church leaders.