What should we do about the mentally unstable?

[ZiSunka]

I don't know if the Bible speaks to this or not.

When we encounter someone who is mentally unstable and potentially threatening, what should we do?

I know we are to love them, but how do we do that with a mentally unstable person?

What if they make threats or use vulgar language?

[Abbadon]

Well, it depends on how they're unstable.

It isn't just "on/off." There's various kinds of mental instability, varying degrees, and varying methods to deal with the different kinds of mental instability.

[tulc]

Accept them and treat them with love and dignity? They don't get a lot of that in their life I'll bet. :sigh:
tulc(that's my thought anyway) :)

[ZiSunka]

Suppose you are talking a person who seems normal but distressed at first, but as you talk to them, you become aware that they have a tenuous grip on reality, and they start to become unglued in front of you.

For example, I was in the ladies' room of my church, which had a lounge area with a sofa and chairs where the ladies could take a break from the activities in the main church rooms. A woman came in who I had never met before and she seemed normal and very nice, polite, thoughtful, intelligent, and as we talked about the special event the church was having, she kind of broke with reality and started narrating a frightening delusion that she was having sex with satan. She started screaming out in ecstasy and touching herself inappropriately. No one knew what to do, even the pastor and the women's pastor.

Another example: A woman I hardly knew was talking in a group about a problem she was having, and when people offered helpful insights, she at first agreed with what they were saying and made comments to help people understand the problem better, then all of a sudden she started raving about how carnal a certain person in the group was and how that person was giving her advice from hell and that that person was under the control of satan and that satan was speaking through them. The person she was attacking was well-known to the group and had been giving good advice and insights and was anything but carnal or satanic. This all just came out of no where in the middle of the discussion. She wouldn't stop, even when people tried to calm her down. She just kept on raving about how carnal and satanic that certain person was. She was clearly having some kind of breakdown. No one knew what to do.

One more example:
I was standing outside a store once waiting for my husband to bring the car so we could load it up with the stuff we bought. This ordinary looking guy came out of the store and started a conversation about one of the products we bought. Suddenly out of no where, he started raving about how he didn't think I was real, that I was just a hallucination he was having and he was going to prove it by hitting me to see if it would hurt. He said he was tired of being in a world with people who aren't real and that he thought it was time to start getting rid of some. I got really scared and pushed the buggy out into the parking lot to get to the car as fast as I could. Traffic blocked the man from following me, but he just turned around and started screaming at someone else.

How should Christians deal with this kind of thing?

[ZiSunka]

Accept them and treat them with love and dignity? They don't get a lot of that in their life I'll bet. :sigh:
tulc(that's my thought anyway) :)


That's true enough. :sigh:

[Sword-In-Hand]

Hmm, I've been referred to as mentally unstable most of my adult life. Just hug me and I'm fine.:groupray:

Seriously though it would depend on if my family was around the person or not. I'd be apt to be more defensive and volatile if I thought my wife or boys were in danger. If it were just me and the person alone, I'd hope to be loving and firm if need be. But with a person like in examples one and two, especially one, I'd have no clue. I might take it into my own hands that they seek counselling. If someone is envisioning having sex with Satan there's so many deep things involved there I really wouldn't know what to do there.

[seebs]

It depends on the degree of instability, and your level of involvement. My spouse is bipolar, for instance, which is a very different situation than the ones you describe.

[ZiSunka]

It depends on the degree of instability, and your level of involvement. My spouse is bipolar, for instance, which is a very different situation than the ones you describe.

Bipolar people are mostly harmless. I have many bipolars in my life and I don't find them scary. Strange sometimes, but not scary. ;)

I'm thinking more of people who have psychotic breaks and/or who may become dangerous to themselves or someone else.

Is there a Christian way to deal with people like that?

During the "sex with satan" incident, I was too afraid to do anything, I was just embarassed for her, but ever afterward, I have always felt guilty that I didn't do SOMETHING for her, like call an ambulance or chide the people in the hallway who were making fun of her. It's a source of great shame to me.

[arunma]

I have no idea what to do in these situations, but I'd like to hear more responses. I too have a mentally unstable friend. His intelligence is in no way diminished. He even got into the fairly selective University of Wisconsin-Madison, but dropped out after a semester because he was suffering from starvation (he wasn't aware that he needed to go down to the cafeteria and eat in order to not starve). He's a nice guy...unfortunately he's also a former male prostitute. Since he isn't a Christian I try not to judge, but he'll often start talking about his former profession in public, and I too am not sure what to do. I am convicted about the Bible's command for us to "associate with the lowly" (Romans 12:16). At the same time, I feel uncomfortable anytime I take this guy out in public, because of his strange behavior.

What to do? I have no idea, but maybe some of you do.

[blessedmomof5]

add me to the mentally unstable list also, but ok, maybe if everyone would hav gotten up n prayed over that women?:confused: :confused: :confused: just a thought, maybe she would have stopped? and if it was really satan you all would have been doing her a favor? oh gosh, i guess easier said for me i was not there....ignore this.

[ZiSunka]

add me to the mentally unstable list also, but ok, maybe if everyone would hav gotten up n prayed over that women?:confused: :confused: :confused: just a thought, maybe she would have stopped? and if it was really satan you all would have been doing her a favor? oh gosh, i guess easier said for me i was not there....ignore this.

I think you are right. We should have prayed over here. But I for one just didn't know what to do.

I think you have given a really good answer to the question. Prayer is always a really good response to any scary situation.

[Indrid Cold]

Ironically, being in law enforcement I have encountered this more often than one would think.

I go to a Southern Baptist church (as well as an EO - I like variety), but a very small SB church - seen some strange things, but, the above examples - no.

However, I have been called out to some "Megachurches" in bigger cities where it does occur.

So, safety first. In those examples the question will be - does this individual pose a harm or are they threatening harm to themselves or others. Regardless of whether it is in a church setting, this is a no-go and law enforcement needs to intervene to determine if that is a possibility. In my state we can "Baker Act" (involuntary commit) an individual for several reasons. They also can be under the influence of narcotics.

However, if the individual does not qualify for an involuntary ride to a hospital to be checked out, then I have trespassed them off of church property. Might sound harsh, but again, this is to be a safe place and one should not be subject to harm. Period.

I would then check with the pastor and elders to see if the individual was willing to have follow up, and if so I would hope the church would follow up with the individual strongly to determine what their situation is, if the church could help, and even have pastoral/elder counselling to see what is going on, hopefully in an effort to reunite that person safely into the church.

For example, I had a guy actually bunch a pastor of a particular mega-church in Fort Lauderdale due to a delusion. He was arrested, but ultimately took action in his own life with the help of some church members and the pastor dropped charges. The puncher is now a member of the church and doing well. If he had not taken action, I would have seen the charges through and hoped the court would see through med compliance, counselling, etc.

Just my experience, but safety first . . .

[HumbleMan]

My first response would be to love them, but since you're talking about specific psychotic breaks, the first thing you need to consider is getting vulnerable people out of harm's way.

If you're willing to take on the situation, the first thing to do is stay calm. No matter how loud or delusional they get, use a low, soothing tone of voice. Don't patronize them, but don't let them direct the situation.

Don't try to touch someone when they are in an episode, as that may trigger violence. And always be aware of escape routes.

Other than those basics, each type of episode needs to be handled on an individual basis. Different etemiology causes different psychosis.

Most people who have some sort of mental disorder know they do, and unless they have their condition under good management, they can lose control without warning or without being able to do anything about it. The one thing I see alot, is people who go into an episode are usually embarrased and withdraw from social situations, which tends to lead to more severe problems.

If you know people who have disorders, and are comfortable talking to them, let them know that you know their behavior is not under their control all the time, and that you still love them, and are willing to talk to them no matter what.

Always be willing to pray for them in any circumstance. Even if they didn't have a disorder, anyone would be comforted in knowing that someone loves you enough to pray for you in any situation.

[IisJustMe]

First off, that may disqualify me, since most people think we're mentally unstable to begin with. I'm like Sword-In-Hand, though -- hug me and I'm fine. :cool:

I have to agree with Johannes, Dostoyevsky's client. :D Safety first. The first concern is to make sure this person doesn't harm himself or others, and very few of us are qualified to subdue a person who is bent on harm. The best bet is to call an ambulance and the local police.

While we are to love our neighbor, people in an unstable or erratic mental state are completely unpredictable, and what would normally be seen by someone as a loving gesture may be interpreted as completely the opposite by someone suffering a mental or psychotic break.

LEAVE THEM ALONE!

Don't talk to them, remove yourself and everyone else from their immediate area, and if they follow you, keep moving. It is never predictable as to when they may become violent, and you don't know if they are carrying a weapon or not. Keep this separation until the police and medical personnel arrive, and let them handle it. You are not licensed health care professionals, and even I would not necessarily be useful in that situation, since my training is not in psychoses.

Be safe, be wise as a serpent. And pray for them.

[Indrid Cold]

I have to agree with Johannes, Dostoyevsky's client. :D


Love it!!!

And fully agree with the post - I was hoping someone from the therapy side would chime in . . . :thumbsup:

[arunma]

I go to a Southern Baptist church (as well as an EO - I like variety), but a very small SB church

Off topic, but that is a combination I thought I'd never see. :thumbsup:

[aReformedPatriot]

I don't know if the Bible speaks to this or not.

When we encounter someone who is mentally unstable and potentially threatening, what should we do?

I know we are to love them, but how do we do that with a mentally unstable person?

What if they make threats or use vulgar language?

Depending on what I thought the disorder was, I'd try to reason with them, but if they come after me I'd drop them just like anybody else. Hopefully that won't happen. :)

[aReformedPatriot]

I have no idea what to do in these situations, but I'd like to hear more responses. I too have a mentally unstable friend. His intelligence is in no way diminished. He even got into the fairly selective University of Wisconsin-Madison, but dropped out after a semester because he was suffering from starvation (he wasn't aware that he needed to go down to the cafeteria and eat in order to not starve). He's a nice guy...unfortunately he's also a former male prostitute. Since he isn't a Christian I try not to judge, but he'll often start talking about his former profession in public, and I too am not sure what to do. I am convicted about the Bible's command for us to "associate with the lowly" (Romans 12:16). At the same time, I feel uncomfortable anytime I take this guy out in public, because of his strange behavior.

What to do? I have no idea, but maybe some of you do.

Are you uncomfortable because people will wonder about you?

[ZiSunka]

I have an old friend who is gay and she has a tatoo of seven naked women on her leg which shows when she wears shorts and she always wears shorts. She makes me uncomfortable when we are out somewhere together, but not because of the tatoo, it's because she constantly complains as loudly as she can, and always with vulgar language.

I know where arunma is coming from. I don't like to go anywhere with my friend because she attracts negative attention with her behavior, not because she is gay, but because she likes to be vulgar and confrontational. I don't worry what people will think of me; but no one likes to be near someone who is causing a scene.

[JPPT1974]

Lambslove, just pray for your friend
Is all that you can do
We will pray for her as well
In the Bible, we are to love people
Even though we may not agree with their lifestyle
Just keep praying for her!