Managing Marriage and Mental Health “Combatting Anxiety and Depression in Order to Improve Communication, Trust, and Intimacy in Marriage”Muestra

Applied Knowledge is Power!

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): 

• 20.6% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2019 (51.5 million people). This represents 1 in 5 adults.

• 5.2% of U.S. adults experienced serious mental illness in 2019 (13.1 million people). This represents 1 in 20 adults.

• 16.5% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 experienced a mental health disorder in 2016 (7.7 million people)

• 3.8% of U.S. adults experienced a co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness in 2019 (9.5 million people)

It is safe to say that everyone at some point will be impacted by mental illness, whether personally or in someone they love. Many married couples are attempting to negotiate their way through a mental illness that has been clinically diagnosed or self-reported by one or both partners.

This may be your story. You may notice or experience signs and symptoms of mental illness in your spouse’s life and be unsure how to handle it. In the past, when you brought up similar issues, the conservation turned south, and it left you feeling distant and discouraged.

When it comes to mental illness, Christians are neither immune nor indispensable, but we do have leverage in the form of the Holy Spirit. He is a teacher and guide through all things, including mental illness. Although Christians have the power of Christ, we must also strongly consider additional resources that would aid and assist in managing mental health and marriage so that we can be better suited partners.

Marriage is about selflessness, compromise, and compassion, which may manifest itself as helping your spouse on their journey of healing and wellbeing, or, at the absolute least, managing and regulating emotions and the effects of mental illness.

Part of becoming whole as a husband or wife is identifying your challenges and learning to work through them with the help of your spouse, but not making it the other’s ultimate responsibility. 

So how do you enjoy the benefits of marriage when mental illness is part of the equation? Over the next seven days, I will share strategies for Managing Mental Health and Marriage so that your Relationship can thrive.

For starters, Applied Knowledge is key!

It is not about what you know, but what you do with what you know will yield desired results. You must understand your spouse’s mental problem if signs and symptoms of mental disease are evident or a diagnosis is made. Read a book, watch a podcast, or glean from a professional so that you can have relevant information about the disorder. Learn as much as you can so that you can practice empathy and compassion.

The enemy would want you to exploit your spouse’s mental illness as an excuse to abandon your marriage and your spouse. He will try to recreate and even plant thoughts in your mind that the marriage is not worth what you may have endured to this point. As a Christian, you must be bold enough to combat all feelings of hopelessness and helplessness and stand on the promises of God.

One thing to remember is that God is your refuge and strength (Psalm 46). That means that we can find safety and security when we retreat in him, and at no point should we ever allow fear imposed or otherwise to dominate the power of God. When you received the Holy Spirit, you received power (ability, efficiency, and might), and those are the attributes needed to help you as you support your spouse.

Reflection: What steps can you take today to learn more about the mental disorder that your spouse has? What do compassion and empathy look like in your marriage as you help your spouse learn to manage their mental illness and its consequences?