Most of the people I came into contact with at the psychiatrist’s office could very easily have been my friends. They all appeared to be "normal" - none had the stereotypical shifty-eyed, head-down expression often associated with mental illness. Had I not worked in a psychiatric office I would have never known they had any illness at all.

There was the occasional client who had a far-away, spaced out look. If I had met these people on the street, I would have assumed they were aloof, artsy, or danced to their own drummers. Most returned to the realm of "sanity" after several weeks of adjusting medications to get the correct combination and dose. They regained the ability to function on a level without the debilitating ups and downs.

One young man suffered from mental retardation, diabetes, and Tourette's Syndrome. I often wondered why God allowed him to be afflicted so. Over time, with treatment, I watched his outbursts become less violent and fewer in number. Then one day he came in, walked up to the reception window and told me his name. What a breakthrough! Standing behind him, his mother beamed with pride.

Not everyone responded to treatment in such a remarkable way. Some had long, hard roads to travel. A talented, sweet, and gentle man could not reconcile his life with what he felt inside. He lived a lie that his upbringing and religious teachings would not allow him to lay to rest. Several times he tried to kill himself. On his last attempt he was almost successful, condemning himself to a life of constant pain and becoming dependent on his wife and family. To the world he was the victim of an unfortunate accident. Only a few people knew that he was actually the survivor of an attempt to end his suffering.

I have heard it said that only the weak seek psychiatric care, or that prayer is the only answer; people should pull yourself up by their bootstraps and carry on. My observations lead me to believe that only a strong person is willing to delve into their innermost being to shed light on the things in their past to change the present. Abuse and neglect shape us in ways that at times we can't fully comprehend without the guidance of someone who is trained to understand chemical imbalances and the body/mind connection. Rather than a mental condition causing a physical reaction, mental illness is a physical condition causing the mental state to suffer.

Can God heal a person of mental illness? Yes, He certainly can. However, He often works through trained mental health providers to nurture and guide us to acceptance, healing, and productive lives.