A look into what defines mental illness and how it affects one's identity ---- or doesn't!
A look into what defines mental illness and how it affects one's identity ---- or doesn't!
Alright so today I’m going to talk about defining mental illness and I really hope it will help give some perspective on how to accept mental illness in ourselves in others without it taking over everything - particularly how it pertains to our identity or shall I say doesn’t pertain to our identity - so without further ado - let’s get to it.
Welcome to the Mental Health for Holiness Podcast - a podcast for women who want to find hope in their mental sufferings and improve their psychological well-being so they can love Jesus more. I’m your host Talia Kruse - I’m a wife, a mom, and I’ve been managing bipolar disorder for over a decade while also continuing on my own journey towards holiness, and I am so grateful to be able to coach other women to do the same. I want to thank you so much for taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoy today’s episode.
Ok, so I think the biggest thing that I really want to emphasize today is that mental illness is not a black and white thing. It’s not like cancer or COVID where you either have it or not. You take a biopsy or take a test and it’s either benign or malignant; it’s either positive or negative. I think this is a really really important distinction because black and white thinking can easily lead to labelling in a way that affects our self-image in a very negative way. So for example, for anyone who gets a diagnosis of depression or anxiety or bipolar or postpartum depression - what have you - there’s the temptation to think, “Oh I’m one of those people now.” I’m depressed. I am bipolar. When it comes to mental health it’s easier for our struggles, our issues to define us in a way that is not correct. Our struggles and crosses can define you in how you choose to react to it, but it’s mere presence does not define you. No one goes around and says “I’m cancerous…I’m COVID-ish - however you would make that an adjective.. No we say I have cancer - or I had cancer. Or we say I have COVID or I had covid…a little tangent that I find so interesting is that pregnancy is something that is black and white - a woman is either pregnant or not…no one says I’m kind of pregnant - I have a touch of pregnancy. No we would say “I am pregnant. I am with child – because that does affect our identity. I’ll leave it at that because that is a whole different episode but the point being that language is important - how we talk to ourselves and how we talk about mental health is important. This is probably the first struggle I really grappled with after I received my own diagnosis - it was a bit of an identity crisis - and I’m going to share more about that in my next episode - but I think this is a huge huge point that needs to be made when we are talking about mental health is that it’s mere presence does not define us - it does not affect your core identity, which is truly untouchable and defined by the fact that you as a human you are an image of God - that is the source of your dignity. - but for the sake of being super objective here - it is not something that should ever allow you to think of yourself as damaged or ruined or defected or excluded from fulfilling your purpose your dreams your desires. We are all fallen yes, but it’s really nothing more than a cross that needs to be carried just like everyone else has their own unique crosses to carry. Ok, so I want you to remember that - a mental illness is something that somebody has, not something they are.
Ok. Second big point that I want to make - related to mental illness not being black and white - it is truly a spectrum thing. So a good image that makes this easier to visualize would be - let’s talk about blood pressure. There is a normal range that the scientific community at large would say is optimal for function - we would say this is “healthy” or “normal” - again because labelling in and of itself is not bad - it’s how our brains organize lots of information and data - so that’s important to remember that it’s not bad for the sake of objective data - it’s when we let it cross into our identity that it can become problematic. Ok - anyway, so we would say anything that is around 120/80 is good blood pressure - there are people who have blood pressure lower than this and those who have higher than this - on each side of the spectrum, there are certains points at which the condition needs attention - ok if you’re blood pressure is chronically low you may have to drink lots and lots of water and eat a little bit more salt and wear compression stockings or something - you have to take some action- when it’s getting too high there might be a time where it becomes important to perhaps watch you eat be aware of how much sodium and salt your eating and things like that. And then there is a certain point where medication is necessary - and perhaps beyond that even more extreme measures - somebody needs to be hospitalized, or something along those lines. So, when we look at mental illness - it’s a lot like blood pressure - we all have a blood pressure just like we all have a mental state of health - be it positive, or neutral or negative - and there are times when it will perhaps go up and down. Another visual would be like your resting heart rate - when you run your heart rate is going to go higher, - when you sleep its going to be lower - but to define your overall health we would consider what is your baseline - your resting heart rate. Again the scientific community has determined through research and discussion when is a resting heart rate too high and medication is necessary - when is it too low?
When we look at for example, depression - we all experience times of being somewhat down or depressed - for sure for those going through grief or recovering from trauma but even those who aren’t - sometimes it’s simply hard to get out of bed. It can be an emotion, a feeling. So it can be an acute condition that we all experience. Depression itself as a mental illness is a bit more chronic - and there are parameters again that have been deemed by the pyschological scientific research at large that say when it gets to this point, medication would be helpful. It may be something that you struggle with for most of your life - it may be something that is but for a season. Bipolar is the same way - everyone has ups and downs - but people who have bipolar have either more than normal - again quote unquote normal - ups and downs or have markedly drastic ups and downs that is again a bit outside the normal range. This disorder tends to be something that that person will most deal with the rest of their life, but again it doesn’t mean that management isn’t possible - regulation of moods might take a little bit more effort but not impossible. Same thing with anxiety - we all get a little worried sometimes - there’s a healthy level of fear and worry that helps us preserve ourselves - but again, there are two sides to that - some people suffer from no worry whatsoever to the point of recklessness or irresponsibility and then there is the suffering that comes when there is excessive fear and anxiety. So mental illness is truly a condition that you could say is in line with the thought of the “via media” the way of the middle - which is why virtue is I believe so intimately connected with our mental health because virtue is also “via media” - pertaining to the middle. Aristotle presented that.
The DSM - the Diagnositic Statistics Manual - now in it’s 5th edition - so often referring to as the DSM V - is a reference book that lists all diagnosable mental conditions recognized by the professional psychiatric community that states the parameters of where mental illness begins - when does the condition at hand get so far off the way of the middle that medication would indeed be helpful - because our mind is connected to our brain which is a physical organ and there are real chemical and neurotransmitters whose balances attribute to this problem. It’s not the whole problem which is why medicine is not a magic cure all but it can be very helpful in addressing the physical part of the problem.
So I’m going to leave it at that today - I hope that helps give some clarity to what mental illness is and how its defined - remembering that is is something that someone has, not what someone is - and that it really is a spectrum thing where everyone experiences bit and pieces of negative states of mental health but it doesn’t automatically mean mental illness - but rather when the negative state persists to a point that is chronic and affects daily function it may need a bit of attention and a bit of conscious effort to be managed - wheather it’s for a season or for longer than that. So I hope that that gives you some good food for thought and God bless your day.
I hope you enjoyed this episode of Mental Health for Holiness - if you did I would greatly appreciate it if you left a rating and review and shared it with anyone who popped into your mind while you were listening - I truly believe that this conversation on mental health is really so necessary to our culture at large and so I would be so grateful if you could help be a part of spreading the message. I also want to encourage your participation in the conversation - I would appreciate any feedback or if you have your own mental health story that you would like to share and how it has effected your own journey towards holiness - feel free to reach out - you can contact me at mentalhealthforholiness.com/contact. And know that I am praying for each and every one of you.