Parishes must reach out to people with mental illnesses

By ANGELA CAVE- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Society's stigmatization of mental health problems and psychological disorders complicates awareness and ministry in parish communities.

Today, "mental illness is what cancer was 30 years ago," says Rev. Thomas Konopka, director of the diocesan Consultation Center in Albany, which offers counseling services.

When parishioners cope with surgery or chemotherapy, he said, gifts and cards often arrive in droves - but when a loved one is diagnosed with schizophrenia or depression, people don't know what to say.

"The first step is education," Father Konopka said. "You don't have to be afraid of this. We talk about inclusivity in our communities, [but] are we inviting of people who are different?"

People with mental illness should "know that they are welcome and they don't have to be embarrassed," he continued. "That's going to go a long way in recovery - if they know their faith community is there for them."

Many needs
Harley McDevitt, director of pastoral care ministry for the Albany Diocesan Cemeteries, trains visitation ministers for the Diocese. She said mental illness is "an area that does need to be addressed" in pastoral care locally.

Ms. McDevitt and Father Konopka said there are many ways for parishes to minister to people with mental illness, from faith-based support groups where people can talk, pray and read poems to guest speakers or information in bulletins.

Pastors can include the theme in homilies; catechists can discuss ways to integrate children with mental illness into programs.

Father Konopka suggested using the psalms during support groups or on visits to psychiatric departments or homes, because they "have every human emotion, and people relate to that."

However, he cautioned, avoid "demon stories" from the Bible, and be aware that some people have obsessive-compulsive tendencies when reciting prayers.

He also recommended assigning parish "angels" to befriend parishioners struggling with issues that make it hard to sit through Mass. People with schizophrenia, for instance, might need headphones to block out auditory hallucinations; people with panic disorders may need to stand in the back of the church.

Stop stigma
People dealing with a mental illness may be "the people in the pews who act differently, so we don't know how to treat them," Father Konopka said. "You treat them like a person with any illness.

"There's a myth that all folks with mental illness are violent, [but] the majority of violence is done by people who are not mentally ill," he added.

As state mental health resources dwindle, it becomes more important for parish leaders to recognize signs and refer community members to care or even provide care themselves. Nancy Acemoglu, parish nurse and outreach coordinator at St. Ambrose parish in Latham, said she and her pastor counsel individuals with mental illness.

"The key is the open communication with the pastor and for the families to be able to get to the root of what's happening," she said. "There is help available."

St. Ambrose is planning a wellness program on suicide prevention and coping with loss.

"The whole focus is on education," said Mrs. Acemoglu. "Every issue like this involves the entire family at every level. It involves spiritual care."

Resources
Father Konopka and Ms. McDevitt said there are interfaith and ecumenical resources for handling mental illness in faith communities. Some Catholic Conferences, which speak for states' bishops, publish pastoral care plans; New York's Catholic Conference released recommendations in February (see separate story). The National Catholic Partnership on Disability has a mental illness council and outlines pastoral responses.

"We don't need to reinvent the wheel," Ms. McDevitt said. "It's just a matter of getting it organized. We have to somehow draw people in and meet them where they're at."

Catholic social teaching tells us that every human person has basic dignity, but "it's easy to forget that when someone is acting out in a way that makes us uncomfortable," Father Konopka said. "What would Jesus have done? He was constantly reaching out to people who were on the fringe."[[In-content Ad]]