“I’m feeling stressed/depressed/burnt out, can I take some time off?”

These days, there’s a chance that such a question will be answered with a ready “yes”, a look of concern, and maybe even an offer of help. It’s probably a far cry from what you might have heard in the not-too-distant past, when mental health issues were all too quickly dismissed as “weakness”—or worse, waved off with a breezy “just get over it.”

Is there less stigma, fewer misperceptions, and greater awareness of mental health issues these days?

Reading a recent CNA report on the state of mental health in Singapore ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10, you might think so. According to the report citing a national health survey, more people are now willing to seek help for their mental and emotional health challenges.

It suggests that people are now more aware that poor mental health is not something they can simply “get over”, and are more willing to talk about it openly—just as if they might share about falling physically ill or contracting a serious disease. More people are going to professionals like counsellors, or sharing these issues with their friends and family.

The question, then, is: How ready is the church, and the Christian community, for the rise of mental health cases? Will there be more counsellors ready to help people coming forward with such challenges, just as we deploy intercessors, teachers, and doctors to address the congregation’s spiritual, educational, and medical needs? Will we organise “mental health” missions to help those suffering locally and abroad, just as we send out medical and social missions to help the sick and the poor?

This is a very real problem, for the proportion of people suffering from mental health problems is on the rise. According to the CNA report, the prevalence of poor mental health in Singapore has risen over the past few years—from 13.4 percent in 2020 to 17 percent in 2022.

Notably, the highest proportions are seen in younger adults—25.3 percent, or one in four people in that age group.

How prepared are we, as a community of believers, for people approaching us for help with their struggles with stress, depression, anxiety, and other disorders? Do we as Christians still hold on to old stigmas about these issues? Do we dismiss them with just an “oh, I’ll pray for you”? Or worse, think that they are “weak” or did something wrong to deserve it?

Unfortunately, some may still see mental health issues as a “modern” problem that comes about because “people were tougher last time”. Or, because the impact is somewhat less visible, they might not see it as serious as physical illnesses and disabilities.

Are we ready to walk the extra mile with people who suffer from poor mental health, just as we do when brothers- and sisters-in-Christ struggle with physical ailments?

Ultimately, both groups of people are suffering, and need our love, care, and attention. The Bible repeatedly calls on us to help those who are weak, needy, suffering, or oppressed—and they would certainly include those suffering from mental health challenges and illnesses.

Acts 20:35 makes clear that “we must help the weak”, while 1 Thessalonians 5:11 calls on us to “encourage one another and build each other up”. The book of James, too, reminds us repeatedly that our love for others is to be shown in tangible, practical ways, for “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (2:17).

Of course, we might wonder: What can we do as individuals if we have no expertise or even background in mental health issues?

Perhaps it’s the same as when someone comes to us with a physical ailment: for a start, we won’t dismiss their problems or simply refer them to someone else. Even though the majority of us aren’t doctors, we would still do what we can to support them, emotionally, mentally, physically, and in practical ways.

Whatever their ailment—mental or physical—we can acknowledge their struggles, be a friend, listen to them, pray with them, offer them comfort and companionship, extend practical support, and encourage them to seek professional help if they need it.

May God help us to love like He loves, and to care like He cares.

(And if you’re looking for easy-to-read resources to share with a friend struggling with stress or worry, check out Finding Strength for Tomorrow or Help! I’m Stressed Out. Written specially for non-believers, these short booklets address the worries that many people face, and introduce them to the only One who can give them true joy.)

Lord, fill my heart with compassion for those who are hurting. Teach me to help those struggling with mental health problems, that I can show them Your love for them.