The Value of an Age-Old Resource to Address Mental Health Crisis

“Mental Health — Help From the Bible,” available free of charge both in print and on Jehovah’s Witnesses’ official website, jw.org, encourages readers to seek assistance with mental health concerns and outlines how guidance found in Scripture can help in practical ways. The lead article in the series, “A Worldwide Mental Health Crisis,” not only documents contributing factors but also defines what a mental disorder is and what it is not.

“The Bible is not a medical guidebook, but its enduring principles are as powerful today as they ever were,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesperson for the organization. “This special series provides comfort and strategies based on those principles. We are thrilled to provide such a powerful resource to the world.”

Fabiana Santos Wurfbain, 46, who lives in Boca Raton, Florida, has suffered from depression since she was a teenager, but during the Covid-19 pandemic, feelings of anxiety became almost unbearable.

Fabiana said: “The forced isolation caused by the pandemic ended up worsening what the disease was already doing to me; a desire to avoid social contact. When the pandemic ended, returning to socializing was a huge challenge, creating an almost endless vicious circle of sadness and anguish. I felt emotionally exhausted.”

Fabiana’s experience is echoed by millions worldwide. The World Health Organization’s 2022 report on global mental health — the largest report of its kind since the turn of the century — found that during the first year of the pandemic alone, anxiety and depression rates rose 25%. The same report called the global response to mental health needs “insufficient and inadequate,” noting that many people who have a mental disorder have no access to care – numbering into the hundreds of millions worldwide.

Since her diagnosis with depression years ago, Fabiana has sought medical treatment, but she says tips from “Mental Health — Help From the Bible” are making a difference, too.

“When I feel like my mind is spiraling into negative feelings, I try to replace the negative thoughts with positive ones, focusing on the good things around me that, even though they may be small, help me get through the day,” she said. “Furthermore, I make God my anchor. Knowing that He loves me and cares about me is a powerful source of comfort.”

Fabiana’s husband, Henry, 57, found the “Mental health: how to help those in need” section of the article especially helpful.

“When I met Fabiana she was already suffering from depression, but I didn't really know how to help her”, he says. “Sometimes I blamed myself for not being able to do more. The article helped me continue to be the patient and understanding husband she needs.”

“Mental Health — Help From the Bible” is available free of charge and without a subscription on jw.org.