Towards Better Mental Health
Interview with Dr. Phil Grandia Clinical Psychologist at The Royal Mental Health Centre
As a follow up to our message this past Sunday on "Hope in our Darkest Days: Towards Better Mental Health" we asked Dr. Grandia a few questions related to mental health and mental illness. If you have questions or need help in regard to your mental health please email ryand@sequoiachurch.org or consult the resources below:
Mental Health Resources:
Canadian Mental Health Association
Focus on the Family
Thoughts of suicide & need help? Text or Call 988 from anywhere in Canada
The Life Line Canada
Suicide Prevention Ottawa
Spotting Suicidal Signs in Others "I.S. P.A.T.H. W.A.R.M."
Interview with Dr. Phil Grandia
Is it okay for Christians or those pursuing God to struggle with mental health?
[Dr. Grandia] Absolutely! In modern mental health care, we use a bio-psycho-social model meaning we consider mental health difficulties from biological, psychological, and social perspectives, with all three being interconnected. We extend on this model adding spiritual (bio-psycho-social-spiritual), considering this as an important aspect of mental wellbeing. Considering this model, there are many causes of mental health challenges and mental illness. So many of the causes of mental illness are outside of our control, much like causes of physical illness. That's not to say that poor decisions (decisions we make to knowingly enter into sin) don't have the potential to lead to mental health challenges, which they do; however, in short, I believe our struggles with mental health challenges or mental illness, much like physical health challenges and illness, are ultimately the result of the fall and the sinfulness of the world. We cannot escape either, and so we are susceptible to mental unwellness.
How do you recognize mental health struggles in yourself or others?
[Dr. Grandia] There's a difference between mental health challenges and mental illness. We all experience mental health challenges like stress, sadness, anger, anxiety, etc. It's normal and expected that we experience mental health challenges from time to time. It's part of life. For example, it's okay to feel sad at times, even if we can't really put our finger on why we feel sad. Feeling anxious about a job interview, as another example, is perfectly normal and, in fact, it would be unusual for someone not to feel some level of anxiety in a situation like a job interview. Mental illness occurs when mental health challenges reach an intensity and/or frequency that the individual can no longer function as expected or as they desire. If mental health challenges are impairing someone's ability to live life (e.g., work, relationships, meaningful activity), it's important to seek help.
What steps can you take to get help for yourself or others?
[ Dr. Grandia] For typical/everyday mental health challenges, it's critical to reach out to people who care about you for support. Social connection is so important in life and great for our mental health. For general mental health challenges, my biggest recommendation is to reduce stress. It's important to find balance in life and to avoid experiencing excessive levels of stress for prolonged periods. That's a recipe for mental unwellness. Also, it's critically important to take care of our bodies. Back to the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model, if our bodies are not healthy, mental unwellness is much more likely. If someone has concerns regarding mental illness, it's important make contact with a health care professional. Most often, Family Physicians are the best first stop, although the focus is likely to be more on medication. If medication is of interest to someone, they can ask their Family Physician for a referral to a Psychiatrist. Folks can self-refer to other mental health care professionals including Psychologists, Psychotherapists, Counsellors, etc. It's important to check credentials (ensuring someone is registered with a College and qualified to provide psychotherapy, for example). Also, it's important to note there's a distinction between counselling and psychotherapy. Counselling is for subclinical mental health challenges. Psychotherapy is for impairing mental illness. For emergencies (i.e., serious concerns regarding safety of the individual or others), presenting to an Emergency Department or calling 911 is appropriate. [Sequoia can provide a list of Christian counsellors upon request - simply ask your pastoral team].
How can we keep our mental health strong?
[Dr. Grandia] Keeping our bodies, minds, relationships, and faith strong. There are a multitude of ways to do this, but ensuring that we're making efforts to keep all aspects of ourselves strong, will ensure we can maintain good mental health. [This can include eating healthy, regular exercise, getting enough sleep, helpful spiritual rhythms, time for recreation, prioritizing relationships we with loved ones, and being connected to community are all important factors for good mental health.]
Is there hope - can we get better if we are currently struggling?
[Dr. Grandia] Absolutely!!! In some cases, there's a quick fix. More often, managing our mental health, or for some mental illness, is hard work and something we work on throughout our lives, just like everything else. Drawing the parallel to physical health, our bodies don't stay healthy or get stronger without effort. BUT, there is absolutely hope. We know so much more about mental health and mental illness than we did even 20 years ago. Self-help, psychotherapy, counselling, medication (where appropriate), and other interventions can help people get back to living life abundantly.
As a follow up to our message this past Sunday on "Hope in our Darkest Days: Towards Better Mental Health" we asked Dr. Grandia a few questions related to mental health and mental illness. If you have questions or need help in regard to your mental health please email ryand@sequoiachurch.org or consult the resources below:
Mental Health Resources:
Canadian Mental Health Association
Focus on the Family
Thoughts of suicide & need help? Text or Call 988 from anywhere in Canada
The Life Line Canada
Suicide Prevention Ottawa
Spotting Suicidal Signs in Others "I.S. P.A.T.H. W.A.R.M."
Interview with Dr. Phil Grandia
Is it okay for Christians or those pursuing God to struggle with mental health?
[Dr. Grandia] Absolutely! In modern mental health care, we use a bio-psycho-social model meaning we consider mental health difficulties from biological, psychological, and social perspectives, with all three being interconnected. We extend on this model adding spiritual (bio-psycho-social-spiritual), considering this as an important aspect of mental wellbeing. Considering this model, there are many causes of mental health challenges and mental illness. So many of the causes of mental illness are outside of our control, much like causes of physical illness. That's not to say that poor decisions (decisions we make to knowingly enter into sin) don't have the potential to lead to mental health challenges, which they do; however, in short, I believe our struggles with mental health challenges or mental illness, much like physical health challenges and illness, are ultimately the result of the fall and the sinfulness of the world. We cannot escape either, and so we are susceptible to mental unwellness.
How do you recognize mental health struggles in yourself or others?
[Dr. Grandia] There's a difference between mental health challenges and mental illness. We all experience mental health challenges like stress, sadness, anger, anxiety, etc. It's normal and expected that we experience mental health challenges from time to time. It's part of life. For example, it's okay to feel sad at times, even if we can't really put our finger on why we feel sad. Feeling anxious about a job interview, as another example, is perfectly normal and, in fact, it would be unusual for someone not to feel some level of anxiety in a situation like a job interview. Mental illness occurs when mental health challenges reach an intensity and/or frequency that the individual can no longer function as expected or as they desire. If mental health challenges are impairing someone's ability to live life (e.g., work, relationships, meaningful activity), it's important to seek help.
What steps can you take to get help for yourself or others?
[ Dr. Grandia] For typical/everyday mental health challenges, it's critical to reach out to people who care about you for support. Social connection is so important in life and great for our mental health. For general mental health challenges, my biggest recommendation is to reduce stress. It's important to find balance in life and to avoid experiencing excessive levels of stress for prolonged periods. That's a recipe for mental unwellness. Also, it's critically important to take care of our bodies. Back to the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model, if our bodies are not healthy, mental unwellness is much more likely. If someone has concerns regarding mental illness, it's important make contact with a health care professional. Most often, Family Physicians are the best first stop, although the focus is likely to be more on medication. If medication is of interest to someone, they can ask their Family Physician for a referral to a Psychiatrist. Folks can self-refer to other mental health care professionals including Psychologists, Psychotherapists, Counsellors, etc. It's important to check credentials (ensuring someone is registered with a College and qualified to provide psychotherapy, for example). Also, it's important to note there's a distinction between counselling and psychotherapy. Counselling is for subclinical mental health challenges. Psychotherapy is for impairing mental illness. For emergencies (i.e., serious concerns regarding safety of the individual or others), presenting to an Emergency Department or calling 911 is appropriate. [Sequoia can provide a list of Christian counsellors upon request - simply ask your pastoral team].
How can we keep our mental health strong?
[Dr. Grandia] Keeping our bodies, minds, relationships, and faith strong. There are a multitude of ways to do this, but ensuring that we're making efforts to keep all aspects of ourselves strong, will ensure we can maintain good mental health. [This can include eating healthy, regular exercise, getting enough sleep, helpful spiritual rhythms, time for recreation, prioritizing relationships we with loved ones, and being connected to community are all important factors for good mental health.]
Is there hope - can we get better if we are currently struggling?
[Dr. Grandia] Absolutely!!! In some cases, there's a quick fix. More often, managing our mental health, or for some mental illness, is hard work and something we work on throughout our lives, just like everything else. Drawing the parallel to physical health, our bodies don't stay healthy or get stronger without effort. BUT, there is absolutely hope. We know so much more about mental health and mental illness than we did even 20 years ago. Self-help, psychotherapy, counselling, medication (where appropriate), and other interventions can help people get back to living life abundantly.