Finding Spiritual Shelter from Mental Health Struggles

In 2014, Mary Rios, age 26, was on track for success. Rios, born deaf, was attending Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., a university for the deaf and hard of hearing. She easily reached goal after goal; yet, she found no satisfaction.

Her lifelong struggle with depression — that she thought she had handled — had resurfaced. Separated from the support system of her family, she found herself sliding into a deep depression, mirroring suicidal behaviors.

Such mental and emotional distress haunts millions. A recent government survey showed a doubling since 2019 in the proportion of Americans reporting anxiety or depressive disorder symptoms.

The pandemic increased the number turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as alcohol and substance abuse. That’s what Rios had done in school. “I tried to avoid the problem. Friends would come over and we would drink — a lot. That’s how I coped,” she said.

Things began to change when, after moving to Anchorage in 2016, Rios revisited her study of the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses, something she had done for a time before college.

As her study progressed, she began to see how the Bible could help her work through her intense, negative feelings. Prayer, meetings with the congregation, and seeing God as close to her and able to help all contributed to a gradual shift in her outlook.

“It wasn’t easy,” Rios said. “I finally got it into my head and was able to adjust my thinking.”

She became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017.

While isolation was a challenge for many during the pandemic, Rios said at first she was happy to be locked down with her pets. She didn’t notice when storm clouds of depression started to settle over her. But others saw the change and told her.

Now, she communicates more regularly with those in her congregation, sharing her emotional condition and asking for help when she needs it.

“My depression now isn’t as bad, now I know the warnings,” Rios said. “I know what to do to get past it.”

Rios’ transformation is no isolated phenomenon. Faith and the support of a congregation have helped many others turn the corner in their recovery.

“While the Bible does not indicate that spirituality cures medical problems, many have derived comfort and strength from what the Bible teaches and the practical guidance it provides,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Hope, support and positive coping skills aid mental health — whether these are built up by professional or faith-based sources, noted Lawrence Onoda, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist based in Mission Hills, California.

Even those with serious mental health conditions may find some aspects of religious participation help them cope with their symptoms, he said.

Gini Perry, of Anchorage, has found this to be the case. During her decades-long struggle to find the right medical treatment for her anxiety and depression, she has found a constant source of strength in her hope, spiritual routine and the support of her fellow believers.

“All of those things have helped me throughout my whole life,” Perry said. “I don't know where I would be without them.”

Her spiritual routine took on even greater importance during the pandemic. Perry, who is also one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, continued to participate in her congregation’s meetings and even her volunteer ministry via videoconference. Because of her struggle with anxiety, being physically isolated at first seemed like an unexpected perk. Not having to psych herself up just to walk out the front door every day was a relief.

But by the time winter of 2021 came around, she realized something was wrong.

The negative effects that the dark, cold season had on her mental well-being combined with the prolonged isolation and the constant undertone of pandemic anxiety came to act as a catalyst for episodes of anxiety that she described as more intense and extreme than ever before.

“They seemingly came out of nowhere and scared me into seeking help immediately,” she said.

Perry sought the help of a specialist and, at the same time, ramped up her participation in her volunteer ministry. She now spends extra time joining friends in her congregation virtually, reaching out to her community with a message of comfort through letters and phone calls.

She sees a twofold benefit from this activity: constant contact with her support system, and work that helps her focus on others and brings her joy.

“There's so much stress and anxiety that people have to deal with,” Perry said. “I know where I've found help, so I'm trying to pass that along to other people.”

“The Bible has such practical advice,” she continued, “but it also gives us a solid hope for a happy future. And that's what we need.”

The Hardrick family, of Westland, Michigan, needed such hope as they fought through survival mode for years, struggling with both homelessness and cancer.

They stayed in a claustrophobic hotel room where drug deals and prostitution awaited just outside the door. Leaving his wife, weak from chemotherapy and radiation treatments, there with his son shrouded Willie Hardrick in overwhelming anxiety every day as he headed to work.

“I was feeling defeated and useless — like I couldn’t do anything for my family,” he said.

Taking the advice of his Bible teacher to pray every day would calm him, though. Hardrick kept up with his Bible studies and got baptized during the pandemic. While his family eventually found a place to call their own, their anxieties weren’t over. Hardrick soon got his own diagnosis of cancer spreading through his body.

“The congregation has helped me keep my sanity,” said Hardrick, recalling the meals, rides to the hospital and other practical assistance he received from fellow worshippers.

Even more than that congregation support system, the hope from the Scriptures is what his wife, Angela, said helps her through what can feel like a hopeless situation.

“I remind myself every single day that — no matter how bad things go — I have to look forward to the future: No more sickness, no more homelessness,” she said, referring to Bible teachings about a future free from suffering. “And with a brotherhood and their love that is so strong, you can overcome anything.”

More information on the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses, including resources for coping with mental illness and emotional distress, can be found on their official website, www.jw.org.