

{"id":27002,"date":"2018-09-11T04:48:03","date_gmt":"2018-09-11T04:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/?p=27002"},"modified":"2023-10-31T16:04:13","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T16:04:13","slug":"mental-illness-in-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/mental-health\/mental-illness-in-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does the Bible Say About Mental Illness in Marriage?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-27004 size-full\" title=\" What Does the Bible Say in Regard to Mental Illness in Marriage\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/What-Does-the-Bible-Say-in-Regard-to-Mental-Illness-in-Marriage.jpg\" alt=\" What Does the Bible Say in Regard to Mental Illness in Marriage\" width=\"804\" height=\"350\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mental illness is widespread and impacts people we know, love and look up to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/kate-spade-dead-latest-cause-of-death-suicide-tributes-fashion-designer-new-york-a8384956.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Katherine Noel Brosnahan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, known commonly as the famous Kate Spade, was an American businesswoman and designer. She committed suicide by hanging herself even though she had a loving husband and a daughter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So what caused her to do this?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It turns out Kate Spade had a mental illness and had suffered from it for years before ultimately killing herself. Same was the case with chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain, Hollywood actor Robin Williams as well as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/tvandshowbiz\/love-island-2020\/6589257\/sophie-gradon-love-island-death-cause\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sophie Gradon<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the &ldquo;Love Island&rdquo; star also passed away after battling anxiety and depression.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Celebrities we look up to, and people all around us have at some point dealt with mental illness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Let&rsquo;s take a look at religion in an attempt to understand what the Bible has to say about dealing with mental illness in marriage.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What-does-the-Bible-say-about-mental-illness-in-marriage\"><\/span><b>What does the Bible say about mental illness in marriage?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2222 size-full\" title=\"God does not neglect people who have mental illnesses\" src=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/wisdom-from-bible-forgiveness-in-marriage.jpg\" alt=\"God does not neglect people who have mental illnesses\" width=\"804\" height=\"350\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What would you do if you found out your spouse has a mental illness? You may fear that the illness could cause chaos and havoc in your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/relationship\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">relationship<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? The best thing to do in this situation is to help your partner and try to understand the problems he or she is going through. Being married to someone with mental illness may mean that you have a lot of responsibilities on your shoulders. Juggling mental illness and marriage problems together is not a simple task but the Bible has some enlightening information for you. Learn what the Bible says about marriage to someone with mental illness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Bible does address marriage and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/mental-health\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mental health<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> issues by saying:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/therapy\/therapist-vs-psychologist\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wisely<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.&rdquo; (<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Philippians 4:6-7)<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does the Bible say about getting married to someone with mental health challenges?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It says that there is no need to fret or be anxious. If you pray and treat your partner well, God will listen to your prayers and will protect you from any heartaches and calamities.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Encourage your partner to access necessary medical and mental health treatment. Your support and patience with your partner is crucial.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><b>Psalm 34:7-20<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.&rdquo;<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As mentioned in the above verses, God does not neglect people who have mental illnesses. The Bible addresses challenges with emotional health. There are ways to manage the difficulties of mental illness and even thrive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does God say about people with mental illness? He is always with them, giving strength and guidance<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though the church of today chooses not to address this issue too often it does not mean the Bible does not talk about it. If you are in a marriage with someone who struggles with a mental illness, there are things you can do to help them through tough times.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mental illness can be difficult to manage but you and your spouse can work together, be each other&rsquo;s backbone during difficult moments, and maintain a healthy and happy relationship.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><b>Tip on handling a spouse with mental illness<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Avoid-using-labels\"><\/span>Avoid using labels<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Calling your wife or husband a &ldquo;depressed mental patient&rdquo; is not at all helpful and is, in fact, damaging.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead, you must describe the symptoms, learn more about potential diagnoses and then start a treatment program right away. Don&rsquo;t punish your partner for having mental health issues. Your spouse&rsquo;s mental illness is not something they chose, but it is something that can be managed and treated.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Try-to-accept-your-spouse%E2%80%99s-situation\"><\/span>Try to accept your spouse&rsquo;s situation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-25156 size-full\" title=\"Get your spouse evaluated and diagnoses as quickly as possible because this is critical\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/How-to-Find-the-Best-Therapist.jpg\" alt=\"Get your spouse evaluated and diagnoses as quickly as possible because this is critical\" width=\"804\" height=\"350\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many partners fail to learn more about their significant other&rsquo;s struggles with mental health.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choosing to stay in denial and pretend that it doesn&rsquo;t exist is wrong. By doing this, you are shutting your partner out in a time where they need you the most. Instead, sit down with your wife\/ husband and ask them to talk openly about their feelings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Educate yourself about their illness and learn how to talk to them in order to make them feel supported.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask your spouse if they would like to get an evaluation. Having an assessment and diagnosis can help your partner access the right treatment options. Encourage your partner to visit a physician and perhaps seek <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/counseling\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">counseling<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider setting some boundaries; being in a <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/relationship\/what-is-marriage\/\" title=\"Marriage means\">Marriage means<\/a> bearing your partner&rsquo;s weaknesses and difficulties, but it does not mean that you enable these weaknesses. Mental illness is a tough thing to go through but it is treatable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>What does the bible say about mental health?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When taking care of your partner during their time of need, it is important that you stay in touch with God. The Bible does talk about mental illness; maybe not in the depth that we wish it did, but good information is in there, nonetheless. If you have lost all hope, then remember this verse <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.&rdquo; (1 Peter 5:7)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":""},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mental illness is widespread and impacts people we know, love and look up to. Katherine Noel Brosnahan, known commonly as the famous Kate Spade, was an American businesswoman and designer. She committed suicide by hanging herself even though she had a loving husband and a daughter. So what caused her to do this? It turns out Kate Spade had a mental illness and had suffered from it for years before ultimately killing herself. Same was the case with chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain, Hollywood actor Robin Williams as well as Sophie Gradon, the &ldquo;Love Island&rdquo; star also passed away <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":630,"featured_media":27004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93],"tags":[2716],"class_list":["post-27002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mental-health","tag-living-with-mental-illness","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/630"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27002"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90752,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27002\/revisions\/90752"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}