May 23, 2026
By Randal Terrell
I grew up in a Southern Baptist church in North Texas during the 1980s and 1990s. My faith in God has remained an important part of my life and has carried me through some of my most difficult challenges. Throughout history, countless people have endured hardship, loss, illness, and adversity through faith, prayer, and trust in God. I firmly believe that faith can provide strength, hope, comfort, and direction during life’s darkest moments.
However, I also believe there is an important conversation that many faith communities have avoided for far too long: the relationship between faith and mental health.
Growing up, mental illness was rarely discussed in my household or in many of the environments around me. When someone suddenly began struggling emotionally, acting differently, or experiencing problems that seemed difficult to explain, the answer was often simple: it was attributed to the devil or some spiritual attack. If the same problem continued to occur repeatedly, the explanation often remained the same. The prescribed solution was usually prayer, more church attendance, greater faith, or simply waiting for God to intervene.
Prayer is powerful, and I would never discourage anyone from praying. Prayer can provide peace during uncertainty, comfort during suffering, and hope during periods of despair. It can strengthen a person’s resolve and remind them that they are not facing life’s challenges alone.
But prayer alone is not always a complete solution to every problem.
When a person struggles with recurring depression, severe anxiety, panic attacks, addiction, psychosis, suicidal thoughts, trauma, or other mental health conditions, there may be underlying biological, psychological, emotional, or neurological factors involved. Simply telling someone to pray harder may overlook the complexity of what they are experiencing.
In my view, God often works through opportunities, people, knowledge, and resources that are placed in our path. Healing does not always arrive in the way we expect. Sometimes healing comes through doctors, counselors, therapists, support groups, medication, education, family support, or life-changing conversations. Sometimes the first step toward healing is having the courage to ask for help.
Too often, individuals who seek mental health treatment face criticism from others who believe faith alone should solve every emotional or psychological struggle. Some people are told they simply need to pray more, give more, attend church more often, or have stronger faith. Others are led to believe that their mental health struggles exist because they are somehow spiritually deficient.
I do not believe this perspective reflects either compassion or reality.
The truth is that faithful people experience depression. Faithful people experience anxiety. Faithful people experience trauma. Faithful people experience addiction. Faithful people can suffer from bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental health conditions. Mental illness does not discriminate based on faith, income, race, education, or social status.
One of the contradictions that often stands out to me is how differently physical illness and mental illness are treated in some religious communities.
Most people would never tell a person with diabetes to stop taking insulin and simply pray. Few would tell someone with high blood pressure to abandon medical treatment and rely exclusively on faith. If a person develops heart disease, cancer, or a serious infection, most churches encourage them to seek medical care while also praying for healing.
Yet when the illness involves the brain rather than another organ of the body, some people suddenly view medical treatment with suspicion.
Why?
The brain is an organ just like the heart, lungs, kidneys, or liver. It can be affected by injury, genetics, illness, trauma, chemical imbalances, medications, substance use, chronic stress, and countless other factors. When something affects the brain’s ability to function properly, seeking professional treatment should carry no more shame than seeking treatment for a broken bone or high blood pressure.
Unfortunately, stigma continues to prevent many people from getting the help they need. Some individuals suffer silently because they fear being judged by family members, friends, coworkers, or members of their faith community. Others avoid treatment altogether because they worry that seeking professional help may somehow be viewed as a lack of faith.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Seeking treatment is not a sign of weak faith. Seeking treatment is a sign of wisdom, responsibility, and self-awareness. It reflects a willingness to confront a problem and take positive steps toward healing.
Faith and mental health treatment do not have to compete with one another. In fact, they often work best together.
Faith can provide hope when recovery feels impossible. Prayer can offer comfort during difficult seasons. Religious communities can provide encouragement, accountability, and support. Mental health professionals can offer evidence-based treatment, coping strategies, education, and clinical expertise. These approaches can complement one another rather than exist in opposition.
Imagine how many lives could be changed if churches became places where people felt safe discussing mental health without fear of judgment. Imagine if individuals struggling with depression or anxiety received the same compassion and encouragement as someone battling cancer or recovering from surgery. Imagine if faith communities actively promoted both spiritual support and mental health awareness.
The stigma surrounding mental illness remains one of the greatest barriers to treatment and recovery. Breaking that stigma requires honest conversations, education, empathy, and a willingness to challenge long-held misconceptions.
My hope is that faith communities continue to embrace these conversations with compassion and understanding. Prayer remains important. Faith remains important. Church remains important. But when mental illness is involved, professional help may also be necessary.
God may provide strength through prayer, but He may also provide healing through counselors, doctors, therapists, support groups, medication, and the courage to ask for help.
There should be no shame in seeking either.
