PRINCESS ANNE — Amid what experts call a global mental health crisis, a new article series has been released highlighting the Bible’s role in promoting mental wellness.

“Mental Health — Help From the Bible,” available free of charge both in print and on Jehovah’s Witnesses’ official website, jw.org, encourages readers to seek assistance with mental health concerns and outlines how guidance found in Scripture can help in practical ways.

The lead article in the series, “A Worldwide Mental Health Crisis,” not only documents contributing factors but also defines what a mental disorder is and what it is not.

Princess Anne resident, Brianna Charles, 28, was diagnosed with Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and a chronic mood disorder in 2020. “Both conditions had been present prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but became more unmanageable during epidemic,” she said.

“It all made me extremely anxious. I battled bouts of depression while trying to adapt to the ‘new normal’ of the quarantine.”

Ms. Charles’ experience is echoed by millions worldwide. The World Health Organization’s 2022 report on global mental health — the largest report of its kind since the turn of the century — found that during the first year of the pandemic alone, anxiety and depression rates rose 25%. The same report called the global response to mental health needs “insufficient and inadequate,” noting that many people who have a mental disorder have no access to care — numbering into the hundreds of millions worldwide

Since her diagnosis, Ms. Charles has sought medical treatment, but she says tips from “Mental Health — Help From the Bible” are making a difference, too. “They reassured me that God loves and values me and knows what I’m going through,” she said. “I can speak more openly about my challenges to those close to me.” 

 “Mental Health — Help From the Bible” is available free of charge and without a subscription on jw.org.