Submitted article from Jehovah’s Witnesses’ official website, jw.org

Release:

Amid what experts call a global mental health crisis, a new article series has been released highlighting the Bible’s role in promoting mental wellness.

“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” Valdosta’s Autumn Davis, 22, recalls giving little thought to her mental health during the pandemic. It wasn’t until COVID-19 restrictions had lifted in her area that she began to realize something was wrong. Autumn- said ”I can see that we as humans are not made or do we benefit to be isolated for long period of times even after the pandemic I had anxieties being around with groups of people and suffered from social skills. Though things were going back to normal it took a good amount of time even months for it not to feel so hard. Just the constant sanitizing consumed a lot of my time especially having being diagnosed with, OCD. Prior to the pandemic, I had social anxiety but it just escalated.

Autumn’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 I was – diagnosed with OCD, anxiety disorder and depression with depression these last few years, Autumn has sought medical treatment, but she says tips from “Mental Health — Help From the Bible” are making a difference, too.”

“ having anxiety sometimes just thinking was hard, but knowing she is not by herself is a big help also Listening to Kingdom Melodies helps me to relax and stay more positive.”

Autumn said. “I remind myself that God loves and values me.”

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