Is mental illness mentioned anywhere in the Bible?

Question

My mom killed herself at age 29 b/c she had turned skitzophrenic by mixing pills for depression from two different doctors. She was a very religious person before all this happened. She had been in mental institutions and tried killing my family b/c she said the voices told her to. I was wondering if it says anywhere in the Bible that if one has a mental illness if they go to Hell. Is this the same for bipolar people? Do they go to hell. Is skitzophrenia from the Devil. How does it occur. Could my dad had lied about her mixing pills and turning skitzo. I wonder if he killed her. She shot herself twice in her heart with a rifle. The doctors said she had no lithium in her body when they did an autopsy. What could this mean? She had as many questions about religion as I do now. I fear I will end up like her, if my dad is not lying.

Answer 1

its all in the mind my friend...

Answer 2

well ok, my family has a history of being bipolar, so I have experienced this question/problem in my life.

Schitzophrenia and being Bipolar are created by circumstances.

It is often caused in childhood or the teenage years.

Good examples of what cause it are: continous sexual molestation/rape as a child or drug use as a teenager. Sometimes even crazy crazy promiscuity can do it to you. Mixing pills could have something to do with it too.

Prescription pills are bad for you. Humans are from the earth and they can be healed with things from the earth. Not man made chemicals.

Basically these acts invites demons to have posession over you and the only way to get rid of it is to pray certain prayers.

That's where the voices come from. They weren't your mom, but rather the demons who had posession of her.

I would look into your mothers past... to see if something bad happened to her as a child.

Typically speaking, this person is either a victim of someone else or themselves. And prayer will heal it.

I am sorry for your mother.

Also, this will not happen to you as long as you stay away from defiling yourself with sin, and if anyone has done this to you, without your permission, all you have to do is say prayers to remove these demons from you.

So don't do lots of crazy drugs or have deviant sexual activities. Just be good!

If your momma accepted Christ as her savior, then she is definetly not going to "hell"

But I believe that we are all going to be present again on earth, during the 1000 year reign of Christ, so if by some random chance your mom wasn't saved in her life, it doesnt mean she can't follow God then and achieve eternal life.

There is no hell for humans right now. Only demons.

All humans are waiting till the end in Sheol. This is where the dead wait. It is in the Bible.

The speaking of Hell and hell fire etc, is about the ultimate final destination of sinners who after everything still decide not to believe. At the very end of the world. After the final battle between good and evil.

Don't listen to your Dad on this matter, as he believes this is a genetic thing. It is an environmental thing.

If you want to know about the prayers to pray let me know. There are certain words. Specifically the word "bind", when talking
about posession.

Also, being human we are all posessed. Because we are sinners. So your mom wasn't this horribly posessed evil demon thing. She just had more than the rest of us.


Don't worry you won't end up like your mom, you won't kill yourself.

Have peace and know that you will be just fine. And your mom was a good person. She loved you very much.

Answer 3

You say that she was very religious? Then the chances are that she was a Christian and she is now in heaven. People don't go to hell because they have mental problems. If they did, then we'd all be going because I can't think of anyone who is strictly normal, including me.
There is also a famous case of insanity in the Bible. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was very proud of his works as king. God prophesied that if he didn't change his ways and admit that God was greater than he was, he would spend seven years in the fields, eating grass like a cow. This is a form of insanity and, apparently, has happened to others because I read an article on this mental illness once.
Insanity was a recognized condition, even in the Old Testament because "madness" (insanity) is mentioned nine times in the Bible.
No, schizophrenia isn't from Satan. It's caused by certain imbalances in the brain (check it out on the Internet) but I can't remember exactly what they are.
What the autopsy sounds like is that she stopped taking her drugs (very common among schizophrenics) and, because the voices returned when her drugs wore off, she committed suicide to get away from them.
Your dad was helpless to help her and I'm sure she hid the fact that she had stopped taking her medications from him. I don't think he had any idea what she was going to do.

Answer 4

Well, I'm not sure if you're going to like this... but... I personally think it's impossible to study abnormal psychology in any depth and come out still believing in "sin."

People will commit acts which make the most sense to them. They never choose an act that looks like their second- or third-best choice or an "evil" choice. They do what makes the most sense.

If their brain chemistry is off, the best choice can appear to be murder or suicide. It only looks like a bad choice to the rest of us because we're not looking at it the same way. If we were in their shoes, we'd think it was the best and only choice, too.

Medication can make a serial killer change into a priest, or vice versa.

Freaking Depo-Provera has a statistical chance of making you commit suicide; does that mean you go to Hell for getting an injection?

And it's not just medication. Food, sunlight, EMF exposure, chemicals in your water -- they all affect your brain chemistry. You don't really have any input in the matter, until something goes wonky and you go to the psychiatrist for meds.

I suggest you read up on borderline personality disorder, attachment disorder, sociopaths and psychopaths. It can really rearrange your thinking about this stuff.

Especially since a lot of crazy people are only crazy because of genetics. Looked at that way, it basically means that God made them crazy. Does that mean God made them mentally ill just so they'd go to Hell? Who wants to live with THAT God?

It's not religious. It's biological. You'll see.

Answer 5

first off - you must have gone through some dreadful experiences from a young age

secondly - it helps to remember that you are not your mother and so it doesnt automatically mean that you are going to suffer mentally as your mother did

thirdly - i think that mental illness is more understood and treated now than it was in bibical times. schizonphrenia is usually a brain disorder and as such of itself isnt sinful - just an illness like any other with longer term consequences

fourthly - having questions about religion isnt a bad thing - it just means you are looking for answers. keep asking questions and seeking for answers about religion as didnt jesus himself say 'ask and seek and you will find, knock and the doors will be opened to you'

Answer 6

Yes it is, there are many people in the bible who have had mental issues. You say that you mom believed in God - that is all that matters, oh yeah, its nice if you ask for forgiveness too! :-)

Anyways, Lithium, is this one of her meds? If it was, then she should have had some in her body. (see link for information on lithium) Lithium helps with bipolar and manic depression.

Sounds like your dad is not telling the whole story to me.....

Answer 7

I hope you do not believe any of the crap that people are telling you...I find your question a heart felt one, this website is full of acid wits who love being nasty...please ignore them all.

Dis-associate any notions of your mothers illness with thoughts of evil or the devil...the two are mutually exclusive: what happened to your mother was tragic, but nothing to do with anything deeper...her problems were an internal issue that only your Mother will ever know - she has taken those answers with her, you must strive to move forward and not dwell on the past.

If you church or anyone else tries to besmirch her name, dis-associate with them too...

I hope you find the truth you seek

Answer 8

People with a mental illness back in those days were said to be possessed with demons.

Jesus and his disciples went around healing many of the mentally ill.

Answer 9

I don't think this si the sort of question that anyone on Yahoo answers can answer for you.
I'm sure your mum was a good person deep down and will have gone to heaven where she can finally be at peace

Answer 10

People with mental illnesses do not "go to Hell." Don't worry, God loves you and wants you, your mum and your dad in his kingdom.

I can answer your questions about Christianity, but you'll have to contact me on the link.

Answer 11

If the Bible said mental illness was caused by the devil would you believe it?