Mental Illness: In Search of Understanding and Hope

How many people in your ward are suffering from some form of mental illness? One? Two? None? Chances are good that your estimate is too low.

“It isn’t a sign of weakness to get the help you need,” says Dorthea C. Murdock of LDS Social Services. “It is a sign of strength to say, ‘I have a problem and I need help.’ Hope and help are available.”

Dr. Petersen, himself a bishop, recalls a bishop who complained to him that life shouldn’t be as difficult and full of disappointment as he was finding it. After being diagnosed and treated for clinical depression, the man’s perspective made a radical change for the better.