I came across this article written by Dr. Paula Bloom in yesterday’s Huffington Post religion section. I have been very interested in the link between lives of faith/belief and depression. Dr. Bloom seems to say that treatment of depression can help a person to be better equipped to experience him/herslf as being connected to the Divine Presence. I think all of this is very interesting. I also find it interesting that Dr. Bloom seems to suggest that the voice of the Divine is the opposite of the voice of depression. Did I read that right? I would love to know what you think?

href=’http://www.interfaithdisability.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/depression_by_thirsty5.JPG’ title=’Depression’>

Interfaith Disability Connection Podcast Episode #1:

In this first podcast of the Interfaith Disability Connection Director Mark Crenshaw interviews Ginny Thornburgh, Director of the Interfaith Initiative at the American Association of People with Disabilities in Washington, DC, Thornburgh will serve as an event facilitator at the 2nd annual IDC Summit this Sunday, August 9, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. Click the play button on the player below to listen to the podcast.

Click below to download the podcast to your computer:

Download this episode (right click and save)

As stress increases more and more people in our congregation are likely experiencing the effects of depression. I have found that too often we have difficulty speaking the truth about depression because we feel we should be better able to control our moods. We become convinced that depression is a sign of weakness.

May faith groups have put together resources to assist congregations in talking about and responding to depression and other form of mental illness in our midsr. Here are links to a few of them:

United Methodist General Board of Church & Society

Department of Jewish Family Concerns- Union For Reform Judaism-Mental Health information

Presbyterian Church (USA)- National Health Ministries- Serious Mental Illness Information

Mental Health: Ministries: To Erase The Stigma of Mental Illness

I was reminded of these issues and the importance of providing space for this important conversation by a recent interview I saw with Quaker teacher and Scholar Parker Palmer.

Please take a few minutes minutes to view the clip below:

I would love to hear your reflections on our times and the rise of depression. I would also love to hear from readers concerning your reflections on the Parker Palmer clip.

The National Alliance for The Mentally Ill (NAMI) has declared Tuesday, October 7,2008 the National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding. NAMI FaithNet has put together some resources to assist congregations in this effort.

The Jewish Family Concerns Department at the Union for Reform Judaism has put together a wide range of resources for congregations to help build understanding about theimportance of mental health and the prevalence of mental illness. You can visit their web site here to gain a better understanding of the issues.

The Observance on October 7th is a part of National Mental Illness Awareness Week which falls next week, October 6-10, 2008.

As part of National Mental Illness Awareness Week NAMI St. Louis  has partnered with the Missouri Institute on Mental Health to offer a series of web-based workshops about mental illness and recovery. You can obtain additional information about those workshops here.

It is my hope that you will share this information with friends, colleagues, and congregants. The stigma around mental health and mental illness in our congregations remains a substantial barrier to healthy, life-giving congregations. Let us work together to educate of congregations and communities so that our sanctuaries can become sanctuary for those living with mental health diagnoses.

I would also be interested to learn about other resources for congregational education about mental health/mental illness. Are readers aware of resources that have been helpful in opening up the conversation? Please leave comments and I will post regarding additional resources later in the week.

Update:The Chair of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta’s Health Ministries Committee sent me the following links  and asked that I add them to this post:

The Presbyterian Serious Mental Illness Network

The Presbyterian Serious Mental Illness Networks Resources Page