People struggling with mentally ill family members often don’t receive much desired support from churches to help them cope, according to a study by Baylor University researchers.

The survey of 5,899 people at Baptist, Church of Christ, nondenominational and Lutheran churches in 10 states, found that 27 percent of families responding had a member with a mental illness, like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, substance abuse or an eating disorder.

That rate is consistent with percentages for the broader public.

Matt Stanford, a Baylor University professor, co-authored a recent study involving the impact of mental illness on families within churches. Stanford holds a copy of his 2008 book, “Grace for the Afflicted: A Clinical and Biblical Perspective on Mental Illness.”
Duane A. Laverty / Waco Tribune-Herald

Moreover, families affected by mental illness were found to pray less and attend church services less frequently.

Church leaders and congregants alike, the study said, often ignore mental illness and the people and families dealing with them, “not recognizing that the casserole, phone call or ‘thinking of you’ card can communicate much-welcome concern and support.”

Matt Stanford, a professor in Baylor’s psychology and neuroscience department, co-authored the study with Ed Rogers, a graduate student in the department, and Diana Garland, dean of Baylor’s School of Social Work.

Stanford said the study shows that “mental illness destroys families, not just individuals, in terms of stressors and conflicts.”

According to Stanford’s research, because churches ignore or demonize people struggling with mental illnesses, “in a sense they’re being pulled away from their church.”

“If one out of every four people in a church had the flu, they’d at least put out hand sanitizer,” he said.

Stanford also had surveyed churchgoers personally suffering from a mental illness. He acknowledged families with loved ones struggling with mental illnesses are pulled away from more than just church life.

They devote less time to work and other activities, too.

But unlike work or a bowling league, he said, “The church has a large role to play in recovery from mental illness.”

He said some churches are taking steps to recognize and respond in a positive way to congregants and families dealing with mental illnesses, but noted because there’s a stigma surrounding mental illness in the general public, it’s slow-coming.

Mainstream Protestant churches offer support systems for a large percentage of Americans, but when it comes to mental illness, he said, “they’ve abdicated that role.”

The study, entitled “The Effects of Mental Illness on Families Within Faith Communities,” was published in June in the journal Mental Health, Religion and Culture.

mshapiro@wacotrib.com

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