Perceptions of serious mental illness in the local church

The present study was undertaken to assess the perceptions encountered in the local church by individuals diagnosed with a mental disorder. Participants (n = 85) were self-identified, mentally ill Christians who responded to an anonymous online survey. Analysis of the data found that the church had dismissed the diagnoses of a significantly large number of the study participants (41.2%). Participants who were told that they did not have a mental illness were more likely to: 1) attend church more than once a week and to 2) describe their church as conservative, and/or 3) charismatic ("Spirit-filled"). Future efforts to bring the mental health and faith communities together must focus more on the specific conservative and charismatic doctrinal issues that presently limit such collaborations.