MENTAL ILLNESS AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

And on the morrow an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day.  Saul had his spear in his hand; and Saul cast the spear, for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall."  But David evaded him twice (I Samuel 18:10-11 RSV).

Note: 1. The "evil spirit from God" is an example of a Hebrew verticalism.  Since God is all powerful, he could have prevented the "evil spirit" from dynamically influencing Saul, but he chose not to and thus God gets credit for the evil spirit.  2.  Was it an evil spirit that assailed Saul or was this just a matter of religious language being used to diagnose king Saul's mental problem?  My thinking is to take the Bible at its word, but in either case, personal responsibility is an important factor.

Often we think that those who suffer from illnesses are innocent victims, being unable to bear any responsibility while they are sick. But, anyone who is sick has to bear some responsibility for getting well.  It might be nothing more than being quiet so that the body's natural immune system has a chance to defeat the infection.  It might be just to follow doctors orders and take the medication as directed.  In any case, there is an appropriate level of personal responsibility to which a person can be held accountable.  When I was the director of a juvenile residential treatment facility, some of the women workers would insist that there were times when they couldn't help it if they were irritable. I told them that, regardless of how they were feeling, I expected them to act like professionals while they were on duty.  It diminishes person hood to not hold others accountable for their performance--even one's self.

I've said all this to lead into a quote by a member of a panel that presented to my mental health ministry class.  This lady was afflicted with a true mental illness, bipolar disorder.  She was functioning at a very high level, though a psychologist once told her that she wouldn't be able to function at more than a minimal level.  She was a woman of achievement, running her own business and being president of a service organization.  She was asked, "How do you take care of yourself so that you can function so well?"  She responded very emphatically, "Personal responsibility for how I live my life, for my goals and for what I am working on!  You have to have them!  When I take personal responsibility I find that I need to take less medication."  This woman did not see herself as a victim.  She understood that she had a disease, but she was not going to allow herself to be defined by it.

I will never forget what she said and I hope you don't either!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom