According to the World Health Organization, mental health disorders impact one in five adults in the United States. Annually, 59.3 million people experience depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and eating disorders among a gamut of mental health issues.
It’s a place where the Church and her people are called to act as advocates and stanchions of support, said Erin McCole Cupp during a workshop on “Mental Health as a Pro-Life Issue.”
A certified trauma recovery coach, mental health author and speaker who examines addiction recovery from a Catholic perspective, Cupp is a member of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Quarryville. She’s also in recovery from her own experience with family trauma.
In her workshop at the Diocesan Center in Harrisburg on October 10 – World Mental Health Day – she spoke to more than a dozen parish ministers about the connections between trauma and mental health, and how those issues impact our response to the dignity of the human person.
Mental disorders are characterized by disturbances in a person’s cognitive function, emotions and behaviors.
“When our mental health is functioning well, we don’t feel trapped or unable to make choices; we can respond freely to do what we know is right. Conversely, people who feel trapped or like they don’t have a choice will react and respond out of fear,” Cupp said.
“This is where mental health is a pro-life issue,” she remarked. “Whenever the value of the human person is threatened, one of the top reasons is because of fear. For example, women who are abortion-minded are afraid for their future. A person who wants to have surgery to try to change their gender is afraid of living in the body God gave them. With euthanasia and assisted suicide, there is a fear of living with pain or sickness…. My thesis is, the disrespect for human life building in our culture is rooted in fear.”
Cupp also underscored that trust is the foundation for healthy relationships.
“We are made to be social people. There is a danger in isolating ourselves from others, whether from fear of being judged or from fear of disappointing others,” she said.
“There’s the thought that, ‘If I keep people out of my life, then I will be safe,’” she said, cautioning that this line of thinking exacerbates loneliness and compounds a person’s hesitancy to talk about trauma and mental health issues.
She encouraged mental health advocates, pastoral ministers and Catholics in the pew to be places of support for people experiencing mental health disorders. “Doing so is the pro-life thing to do,” she said.
“We are all traumatized at some level, at some point in our lives,” she said. “For those who say, ‘Well, I know others who have had it worse than me, and they’re the real survivors for what they’ve gone through,’ my response is, ‘Trauma is not a competition. It is individual for each person.’”
“What we can do as pro-life people can make a difference, even if it’s just one life,” Cupp said.
The workshop was hosted by the Diocesan Office for Life & Dignity in an effort to raise awareness and remove the stigma associated with mental health. Among the attendees were parish mental health ministry leaders and those looking to bring the ministry into their parish communities.
“Whether we’re in ministry or not, we are all human beings and can benefit from understanding our relationships and how our experiences affect the way we approach one another,” said Marianne Weltmer, Director for Life & Dignity.
“Mental health ministry is expanding across the United States and globally. Mental illnesses are common among any group of individuals, and the Church has a unique opportunity to minister to those struggling with mental health,” Weltmer said. “Through ministry and prayerful support, the Church offers a pathway to Christ and meaningful participation within the parish community.”
The United States Bishops are raising awareness about mental health issues, too, notably through their National Catholic Mental Health Campaign and a Novena for Mental Health that began on World Mental Health Day, October 10.
In their statement about the campaign, aimed at raising awareness about mental health, removing its stigma and encouraging those who suffer to seek help, the bishops said that “mental illness and mental health challenges often remain associated with embarrassment, shame, or guilt, which can prevent people from seeking and receiving help.”
“Such a stigma contradicts the compassion of Jesus and is contrary to the foundation of Catholic social teaching,” they said. “As pastors, we want to emphasize this point to anyone who is suffering from mental illness or facing mental health challenges: Nobody and nothing can alter or diminish your God-given dignity.”
Those interested in starting a mental health ministry in their parishes can reach out to Weltmer for more information at 717-657-4804 or mweltmer@hbgdiocese.org.
(Photos by Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
