Silent Souls Weeping: Depression—Sharing Stories, Finding Hope

by Jane Clayson Johnson

“The best that bishops can do is be open and approachable and understanding and soft and sympathetic and encouraging and patient, because that’s the bishop’s role,” he says. “This can show in your body language, your sympathy, your understanding, your follow-on questions of wanting to understand more, and not judging the situation. When a person goes in to talk to the bishop, they need to know they’re going to be listened to; they need to know they’re going to be understood. You always leave the door open and leave the channels of communication open, and let them know they have an advocate. Bishops are advocates just like the Savior is our advocate.”

For him, the empathetic response of church leaders and church members is fundamental.

“But what they actually need is a healing and accepting community. I was shocked how little the church talked about these problems. The church needs to foster a culture that means that this topic can be discussed if it needs to be. They need to be clear that they are mental-health friendly.”

These are stories of successful ministering that we need to share and learn from.

The M25 Committee aims to be a resource regarding all things mental health, addictions, employment, and welfare.

Let’s imagine a new bishop has just learned about a young mother in his ward who seems to be facing severe depression. This good bishop is well equipped to provide love and compassion and a listening ear, but he’s not so sure what to do beyond recommending she get in touch with LDS Family Services. That’s where M25 comes in.

“Many of our brethren and sisters are on the plains with handcarts, and probably many are now seven hundred miles from this place, and they must be brought here, we must send assistance to them,” the prophet told the congregation. “That is my religion; that is the dictation of the Holy Ghost that I possess. It is to save the people. “I shall call upon the Bishops this day. I shall not wait until tomorrow, nor until the next day. . . . “I will tell you all that your faith, religion, and profession of religion, will never save one soul of you in the Celestial Kingdom of our God, unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on the plains.”86

But there are people, not a few, whose circumstances are desperate and who cry out for help and relief.”

It is one of the miracles of the gospel and the restored Church that none of us has to solve these thorny problems all alone.

sharing stories about depression is the best, first step in fighting both the disease itself and the stigma that surrounds it.

“Telling your story—while being witnessed with loving attention by others who care—may be the most powerful medicine on earth.”

“Depression thrives in secrecy but shrinks in empathy.”

“The thing I come back to again and again is how we are doomed to suffer without support; we are just isolated in our troubles if we cannot share.

Everyone who is suffering—with depression, with a spouse or child with depression, whatever—...

When left all alone we are in real trouble.”

“When your faith is such a huge part of your life and your life feels broken, one of the first places you look to fix is your faith. I think about the famous Gordon B. Hinckley quote, ‘Bring what good you have and see if we can’t add to it,’91 and want to spin it to say, ‘Bring what heartache and problems you have and see if we can’t try to understand them.’ Because at the end of the day, connections are made from feeling understood, right?”

Sharing, carrying others’ burdens, sitting in silence beside a friend as we listen to her talk about depression—these are all things the Savior would do if He were here.

Jesus didn’t heal them by avoiding them. He waded right into the mess with His help and with His hope. Leprosy is a disease that can’t be hidden—people are literally, physically falling apart. Mental health needs to be like that; it needs to be dragged into the light of day where we can see that people are falling apart and where those who are willing to wade in and help can do so.

“depression will only intensify in the private cocoon we spin at our lowest.”93

He visits us in our afflictions. We are privileged to be His ministers.