Are you ready to come out of the closet?

 


When I was a case-manger I discovered that social workers and even psychiatrists were hiding the fact that they had some kind of mental illness. I would say in staff meetings, "If we really want to fight stigma why don't we take all of our antidepressants and mood stabilizers and put them on the table in front of us." They never did. I did witness though when Robyn and I were doing one of our seminars that a well known, highly educated psychiatrist said in front of the group, "I have bipolar 2 disorder and I have finally come out of the closet."
When I first was depressed as a pastor in Florida one of the leaders from my college spoke at a pastors' conference. He presented depression as being a sign of emotional weakness.  I was stuck in the middle of a row in the church. I wished a sink hole would just open up and remove me from my humiliation. Most people with mental illness who attend church refuse to broach the subject. Why the silence? They are ashamed. The result is a person who suffers from one of the most painful diseases known to mankind, faces it alone and then because of these feeling of embarrassment, inadequacy, inferiority and shame, the devil gets an advantage. The end of this scenario is suicide. Remember, the devil is a liar and a murderer and has been from the beginning.

One reason for this misplaced stigma is that many in church leadership regard the roots of mental illness as moral and/or spiritual. This non-shepherding approach assumes that spiritual people do not get depressed, have anxiety or hear voices. This approach breeds a critical spirit. It also drives the person away from the church and discourages transparency.  Job said, "For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; so that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty" (Job 6:14).  Good pastors who berate or neglect the mentally ill may be held responsible at the Judgment Seat of Christ for hurting one of the Chief Shepherd's lambs

 












The Lord Jesus Christ and a weak spirit.

Another reason for this misplaced stigma is a failure to listen to what Scripture says about believers in a weakened state. It was said of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 12:20; A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out, till He leads justice to victory ( NIV). A bruised reed represents a person who is emotionally damaged. This emotional pain could stem from problems with assurance of salvation, it could be from a strong Satanic attack or it could be the result of a mental illness. A bruised reed is almost broken, a smoldering wick is one that is flickering and its flame is almost out; while both are "almost" destroyed, they will not be because Jesus Christ makes sure they will survive. If He is so generous to His weak ones, why should others try to break the spirit of the depressed?

God has chosen the weak to confound the wise
Scripture tells us in I Corinthians 1:26-29 that God has chosen the weak and
foolish of this world to confound the wise. The apostle Paul said that he gloried in his weakness, 2 Corinthians 12:9-11. No one really has it altogether. We should glory that we have a vital union with Jesus Christ. We should also glory in our weakness.


Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane

A third reason for this misplaced stigma is a failure to look at the experience
of the God/Man Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Mark 14:33, 34 And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. And He said to them, My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch . The word for distressed in the Greek is ekthambeho. It means to, throw into terror or amazement. Please notice the word is preceded by "very." He was very terrified and surprised at his suffering. The word, troubled, in the NASB  is ademoneo in the Greek.
Thayer who was a Greek scholar says about this word. It means to be troubled, in great distress or anguish, depressed.This is the strongest of the three Greek words in the NT for depression.
Jesus Christ was wholly God but also wholly man, the God/Man. He felt depression; like the writer of Hebrews says, He was touched by the feelings of our infirmities. He is the One who understands your suffering and He does not condemn you or blame you; Christ is not ashamed of you and your illness. Take heart; He knows.

If you are doubting God you might want to read this.

Psalm 73

Have you ever felt that God was cheating you, that He was holding back His blessings? Remember, this is how the devil attacked Eve in the garden. As she loitered in the place of temptation, the devil presented God as a liar and as One who was holding out on her when it came to His love and blessings (Genesis 3:1-6). Satan did the same to Asaph, who was a Levite and one of Israel’s prominent musicians. Asaph had experienced the Grace of God and was a righteous man. You may ask, “then what was his problem?” Here is a brief look at one of his hymns, Psalm 73.

1. Asaph's backsliding was one which affected his service and joy in the Lord.  

"Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart." Asaph knew the God of Israel and served him; he was a saved man. There is a difference between being an apostate and a backslider. An apostate is one who departs from the faith (See Hebrews 6:1-9, and Romans 6:1-5; 14-23), but a backslider is one who has believed on the Savior and fails for a time to live up to what he has learned. He was shaken in his faith and, as a result, it was nearly eclipsed. 

2. Asaph was part of the Israelite remnant, those who were of a pure heart; it is a fact that not all of Israel was saved (except, of course, at the very end the seven year tribulation period the whole nation will be saved [Romans 11:25-29, Zechariah 14:1-8]). Asaph wanted to make sure that his temptation to sin was his own problem. This is what the adverbs tell us in verse 1 "but as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, my steps had almost slipped.” The righteous man may stumble but he does not lose his footing. He may fall seven times but he gets back up again. Why is this so? It is because the LORD is holding his hand. 

 

Proverbs 24:16 speaks of this divine hand holding: “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity”. Asaph’s backsliding (from his viewpoint) was very close to forsaking God. Psalm 73:2, “but as for me, my feet came close to stumbling (natah)”. The Hebrew word for stumbling means to pitch forward, to stretch out (“My steps had almost slipped”). Later, in looking back on his envying the wicked and being discontented, he says, "When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you." (Psalm 73:21, 22).

Reader, are you in that state of mind right now? Do you compare yourself to the wicked or even to other Christians and it seems like they are getting along just fine while you are not? Others’ kids appear to be close to perfect and their parents imply this in their end of the year letters. The wicked seem to prosper when you have little. You serve God and still just get by financially.  This distorted thinking has been a problem to the people of God throughout history. A quote from another psalm is fitting. The psalmist in Psalm 37:1-6 writes, 

Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.3Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun (NIV)

And what about the Apostle Peter? Do you remember his backsliding? His love had failed, and he denied Christ and cursed God. His faith had not failed. Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane prayed that his faith should not fail (Luke 22:31-34 NIV). He felt like he was such a failure so he went back to the only vocation he knew, fishing. But His Lord was going to restore him to ministry; this is the same Lord who had prayed for his faith. Luke 22:31-32 tells us the content of that prayer “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith my not fail; and you, when you once have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (NASB). 

Now back to Psalm 73,where is the turning point of this outcry?  

It lies in verses 16-19:

When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight until I came into the sanctuary of God, then I perceived their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!

If you are viewing your life through present circumstances or past failures, or if you feel cheated by God, then you need to come into His presence with thanksgiving and understand that the unsaved, though they are doing well now, will one day be forever cast into Hell. The Lord Jesus conquered the grave. He is coming again! Look at the changes that occurred in Asaph's present walk with God.

You can find what we have been discussing in Psalm 73:23-28:

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

Five Christian leaders in Laos were sentenced to jail and fined on Feb. 2

 












 Print these prayer requests and keep them with you throughout the week.

 Five Christian leaders in Laos were sentenced to jail and fined on Feb. 2 after a Christian woman they had prayed for died of an illness. Mrs. Kaithong, Mr. Puphet, Mr. Muk, Mr. Hasadee and Mr. Tiang were charged with "treating [a person] without an official license causing her to die." The Christian leaders were each sentenced to nine months in prison and fined for allegedly claiming to be healers. The problems developed when authorities realized the woman's family wanted a Christian burial service. Authorities came to the family’s home to arrest the leaders and tried to force the family to recant their faith. 

Feb. 12, 2015 | Cuba
Pray for Pastor's Son, Detained in a Military Prison

Gabriel Jeyva, 19, was serving his mandatory military service when he was accused of forming a cartel against the Cuban government. When Gabriel's father, a pastor, went to the prison to visit him, the guards refused to let them speak to one another. "We know this is a form of persecution from the government, to hurt this young man because he is the son of a pastor," a VOM contact said. The Jeyva family is integral to a new church plant that VOM sources say is a "powerful blessing" in the community.

 Feb. 12, 2015 | Nigeria

 Islamic extremists attacked the village of Nunkwo, in northern Nigeria's Taraba state, on Jan. 28, killing 23 people and injuring another 18. More than 1,000 armed men, thought to be disguised as Fulani herdsmen, surrounded the village before opening fire on Christian villagers. The extremists looted and burned churches and Christians' property, but the local mosque was protected by soldiers posted in the village. Some of the Christians had been warned of an impending attack, so many of the more than 15,000 Christians in the village had left before the extremists arrived.

Borderline Personality Disorder part 2,Do I have it?

 

This blog originates from Canada. 

All Rights www.heretohelp.bc.ca

 

Could I have borderline personality disorder?

• I can’t control my anger. I often lose my temper or get into fights
  
• I feel empty inside most of the time
  
• I experience intense anxiety, depression or irritability, and it usually goes away in a few hours or a few days
  
• I do whatever I can to avoid being abandoned
  
• I can’t stop spending money, having risky sex, using drugs or other things that can hurt me
  
• I think about ending my life
  
• I harm myself
  
• I have a hard time maintaining personal relationships; I fall ‘in and out of love’quickly
  
• My sense of self changes all the time; I don’t know who I really am.
  

If you have several of these symptoms and you’ve noticed them for a long time, the best person to talk to is a doctor or mental health professional. BPD can look like many other illnesses, so you should never try to diagnose yourself (or other people).

 

Who does it affect?

About 1% to 2% of the general population has BPD. It’s usually diagnosed in teens and young adults, though it may also be diagnosed later in life. It seems to affect more women than men.

• Family members—You are five times more likely to develop BPD if a close family member like a parent or sibling has BPD. You also have a higher risk of BPD if a close family member has an impulse control disorder like a substance use disorder or antisocial personality disorder.
  
• Childhood trauma—Abuse, neglect, loss and other hurtful events that occurred in your childhood increases your risk of developing BPD.
  
• Age BPD is more likely to be diagnosed in your 20s. This is also the time with the highest suicide risk. Many people find that their symptoms become more manageable as they get older,² and many people recover by the age of 50.Researchers aren’t completely sure why people often feel better as they get older. One theory is that people become less impulsive as they get older. Another theory is that certain brain structures related to emotion change as we age.
  
• Other mental illnesses—Many people living with BPD have other mental illnesses. This can make it hard to diagnose BPD properly. The illnesses most often associated with BPD are mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, eating disorders, dissociative disorders and other personality disorders.
  

What can I do about it?

 For a blog which talks about my evangelical faith and how it affects my counseling those with Borderline Personality Disorder, please go this  link   
http://sbloemreflections.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-training-with-marsha-linehan_03.html




Treatment for BPD can be very effective. It may include a combination of therapy (counseling), medication and self-help.

Several different therapies may help:

• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is often a treatment of choice. It’s based on cognitive-behavioural therapy and mindfulness. Cognitive-behavioural therapy teaches you how your thoughts and behaviours affect your emotions, while mindfulness teaches you to focus on the present moment. DBT teaches you to replace extreme and rigid ways of thinking with more open and flexible ways of thinking, and teaches skills like acceptance, problem-solving and tolerance.¹³
  
• Several newer therapies also show a lot of promise in the treatment of BPD. Mentalization-based therapy helps you understand your behaviour and other people’s behaviour, and the thoughts and feelings associated with the behaviours. Transference-focused therapy helps you understand how you see yourself in your relationships. Schema-focused therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful way of thinking, feeling and behaving.
  
• Other types of counseling may also help. Supportive therapy helps to improve day-to-day life skills, increase self-esteem and helps you understand your feelings. Interpersonal group therapy lets you share your problems and successes with others, and it teaches relationship skills. Family therapy helps family members understand the illness and teaches them coping skills.
  

Medication

Medications won’t resolve BPD, but they can help manage some troubling symptoms. Atypical anti- psychotics, mood stabilizers and certain antidepressants may help.

Self-help

There are many things you can do to help manage BPD. Learning about the illness can help you understand what’s going on. It’s always a good idea to get enough sleep, eat well and exercise regularly. Finding help for other issues like a substance use problem or another mental illness can also help you cope with BPD.


BPD can take some time to treat. It’s important to build a trusting and open relationship with a counsellor or doctor and keep a consistent, long-term treatment plan.

 Rev. Steve Bloem, B.A. M.M. is a certified DBT therapist.  He and his team were trained by Dr. Marsha Linehan at the University of  Washington in the years 1996 and 1997.  Steve and another team member started and held one of the first DBT programs in the Community Mental Health System. in the U.S.A.He is now in private practice in Palm Beach County, Florida. If you would like to know more about our ministry, Please go to our contact us form on our web site,
http://www.heartfeltmin.org/#!contact/cito 

Where do I go from here?

In addition to talking to your family doctor, check out the resources below for more information about borderline personality disorder.
BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information
Visit www.heretohelp.bc.ca for the Managing Mental Illnesses series, more info sheets and personal stories about personality disorders. You’ll find information, tips and self-tests to help you understand mental health. You’ll also find the Borderline Personality Disorder issue of Visions Journal.
Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division
Visit www.cmha.bc.ca or call 1-800-555-8222 (toll-free in BC) or 604-688-3234 (in Greater Vancouver) f

 

 http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Minds-Healing-Youre-Losing/dp/0825421187/ref=tmm_pap_title_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 For footnotes, please go to:

 http://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/factsheet/borderline-personality-disorder

 

 

Borderline Personality Disorder - Attention: pastors, churches, seminaries colleges; you must know this!

Rev. Steve Bloem, B.A. M.M. is a certified DBT therapist.  He and his team were trained by Dr. Marsha Linehan at the University of  Washington in the years 1996 and 1997.  Steve and another team member started and administered one of the first DBT programs in the Community Mental Health System. in the U.S.A.He is now in private practice in Palm Beach County, Florida. If you would like to know more about our ministry, Please go to our contact us form on our web site, http://www.heartfeltmin.org/#!contact/cito

In the past, people thought that someone with borderline personality disorder (BPD) was “on the borderline” between psychosis and neurosis (anxiety/depression). Today, we know much more about BPD, and there is more research on BDP than any other personality disorder.

But there is a lot of stigma around personality disorders. People living with borderline personality disorder may be given hurtful labels. But no one is ever just their diagnosis, whether they’re living with a personality disorder or any other mental illness. There is hope and there is help

Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness that affects the way to relate to other people and the way you relate to yourself. If you’re living with borderline personality disorder, you might feel like there’s something fundamentally wrong with who you are or you might feel ‘flawed’ or worthless, or you might not even have a good sense of who you are as a person. Your moods might be extreme and change all the time, and you might have a hard time controlling impulses or urges. You may have a hard time trusting others and you may be very scared of being abandoned or alone.

BPD is made up of five groups of symptoms: unstable behavior, unstable emotions, unstable relationships, unstable sense of identity and awareness problems.

Unstable behavior means that you often act on impulses or urges, even when they hurt you or other people. Some examples of impulse control problems are:

• Thinking about or attempting suicide
  
• Hurting yourself on purpose, such as cutting or burning your skin (self-harm)
  
• Risky behaviors like spending a lot of money, binge eating or problematic substance use
  

Unstable emotions mean that your moods can be extreme and change very quickly. Some examples of unstable emotions are:

• Extreme depression, anxiety or irritability that might last for only a few hours or days, usually in response to a stressful event
  
• Intense anger or difficulty controlling anger
  
• Intense boredom
  

Unstable relationships mean that you have a hard time maintaining relationships with other people. Some example of relationship problems are:

• Doing anything you can to avoid being abandoned or alone
  
• Feeling like you don’t know yourself or having very unstable sense of who you are and how you feel about yourself
  
• Intense relationships where you often impulsively shift between seeing the other person as ‘all good’ or ‘all bad’
  

Unstable sense of identity means that you don’t have a good sense of who you are as a person. Some examples of an unstable sense of identity include:

• Feeling like you don’t know yourself
  
• Having a very unstable sense of who you are and how you feel about yourself
  
• Feeling “empty” much of the time
  

Awareness problems mean that, from time to time only and often in response to a stressful event, you experience sensations or feelings that aren’t based in reality. Some examples of awareness problems are:

• Feeling like you’re separated from your mind or body (dissociative symptoms) or losing track of time.
  

There are many different combinations of symptoms, so BPD can look very different among people with the illness. To diagnose BPD, mental health clinicians look for patterns of behavior that last for a long time and have caused distress or problems with relationships or other areas of life, such as work.


 http://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/factsheet/borderline-personality-disorder 





http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Minds-Healing-Youre-Losing/dp/0825421187/ref=tmm_pap_title_