Overheard

Hey guys! Look how long it's been since I posted! Who cares. Let's move on. The only reason I am posting today is because I overheard something today that both breaks my heart and makes my blood boil just a little bit. And I have to say something. To respond. But I don't really know this person and have no way to really respond. So consider this post a yell into the dark void. That is what I'm calling it, anyway, because I'm pretty sure no one will read it ha.

Anyhow, I heard this woman relate overhearing members of the young women's presidency in another ward talking about what anti-depressants and anti-psychotics they were on. She then added her commentary "why are these people in the YW presidency?!"  [I HATE overhearing this sort of comment when I have no way to respond without seeming overly aggressive and like I was eavesdropping.]

It makes me both sad and angry the way mental illness is stigmatized in our North American culture as well as Mormon culture. As Elder Holland put it in his talk in the last general conference, "...neuroses and psychoses, ... genetic predispositions and chromosome defects, ... bipolarity, paranoia, and schizophrenia[:] these afflictions are some of the realities of mortal life, and there should be no more shame in acknowledging them than in acknowledging a battle with high blood pressure or the sudden appearance of a malignant tumor." THANK YOU! Do you honestly believe that someone who is depressed should not have a calling in YW?  Or was it the possibility of psychosis that was really over the line? What other health problems should prohibit one from serving and teaching the young women of the church? If you, as a YW president yourself feel that way, maybe you shouldn't be in the YW presidency. If there's something YW don't need more of, it's unrighteous judgement. There's enough of that in junior high and high school already.
I am sure this woman didn't think she was making an unrighteous judgement. She probably didn't think about it at all, in fact. Because it's just so commonplace in our society to write off people who suffer from mental illness. And that's why it breaks my heart for all those out there who do suffer from unseen stigmatized illnesses and life experiences. Working with people experiencing homelessness in one way or another over the past 8 years has certainly made me very aware of these issues.I just hope that we can move toward a more loving and inclusive culture, especially in the church. Like President Uchtdorf said, there is room for everyone in the church, even those who suffer from mental illness.