On Social Justice Sunday, August 30 2020, Frank Brennan sj consulted the statement by Catholic bishops on how to deal with mental illness during the pandemic.
"Calling us to live life to the full, our bishops urge each of us to take three practical steps:
1. Reject stigmatisation of those with mental illness
2. Work for the transformation of social determinants of mental ill-health
3. Call for policies and service provision that meet the needs of the poorest, most marginalised and recognise in them the face of Christ Jesus."
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Brennan then consulted an experienced psychiatrist and asked, ‘What can a lay person like me do to support people with mental illness?’
Answer: ‘Once someone is mentally ill, there’s not much you will be able to do. The emphasis must be on prevention first up.’
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The psychiatrist went on: 'On one level, it’s very simple. Your mental well-being is more likely to be assured if you have a roof over your head,
if you’re warm enough,
if you have food in your belly,
if you have someone to talk to,
and if you are spared domestic violence or abuse.
Better still if you’ve got gainful employment and good education.
In a time of pandemic, your physical and mental well-being will be enhanced if you have:
a regular routine,
regular exercise,
healthy food,
hobbies,
and mindfulness exercises or meditation.
And don’t keep looking at the 24/7 COVID news reports which are sure to make you lose perspective.'
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'Especially during the second wave of COVID and during lockdown, helpers will start to fray at the edges.The helpers need help' states Frank Brennan. 'Everyone can do better if more of us reach out to others.Everyone should do their bit, going out of their way to help others, if only to ask others how they’re travelling. Keep calm; reach out; and appreciate that everyone is doing it tough.'
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The poet Les Murray, after one major bout of depression, published a book entitled Killing the Black Dog.
Murray states: ‘Apart from Xanax, no other drugs worked for me at all. Not Tofranil, not lithium, not Prozac, none of them. What did help were work, family, routine and talks with other sufferers. If God helped, and I imagine He did, He didn’t tell me about it – or perhaps I simply couldn’t hear Him if He did. It may be wiser not to hear the Divine when you are crazy: you may do extreme things and get it a bad name. I did attend Mass steadily throughout, under my wife’s good influence. If I seem reluctant to attribute much help to God, it’s because despair is of the very grain of depression. You feel beneath help, beneath the reach even of Godhead. A lot of seemingly irreligious people feel this way, too low down for faith.’
Murray goes on: 'Family helped in a thousand ways, many of them better not described except under large headings like Mothering or Setting Straight or Advising Against Rashness. Don't make a scene; the poor waitress isn't to blame.'
Listen to the full address at https://soundcloud.com/frank-brennan-6/homily-social-justice-sunday-2020 .
(Homily: quotes. Social Justice Sunday, Newman College, Frank Brennan).
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