Mental Health

You’re Not Alone

If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health emergency, please text or call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 to connect with a crisis counselor 24 hours a day. Or call 911 or go to your closest emergency room. There is help, and YOU are not alone!

Take the FREE Caregiver Stress and Burnout Assessment and receive your risk score.

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Page Contents

For Churches

Resources

Do I Need Help?

Statistics

Articles

Books

References

Use These Resources

Find help at the Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Warning signs and symptoms

What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

Find a mental health professional in your area

Directory for therapists experienced in working with families with disabilities

Christian counselor locator

The National Respite Locator

Go to the SAMHSA National Helpline

Care for your Mental Health

Supporting your spouse’s recovery

Cleveland Clinic (Ways to support your spouse with depression)

Family support group National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

Assistance for practical needs at FindHelp.org

Do I Need Help?


This graphic and other valuable information can be found at NIMH.NIH

Statistics About Caregivers and Mental Health

Research Shows that Caregivers:

  • Have up to 2x the risk for developing physical and mental health symptoms
  • 33% of special needs parents develop clinical anxiety and depression
  • 60% of caregivers develop burnout
  • Experience stress, anxiety, anger, grief, and depression at higher levels compared to the national average
  • Are at greater risk for experiencing faith struggles

Women and Mental Health

More Statistics:

  • 18.5% of all adults  experience mild to severe symptoms of depression (Centers for Disease Control)
  • 31% of parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience moderate depression.
  • 24% of moms caring for children with autism experience symptoms of depression.
  • Mothers caring for children with cerebral palsy have double the risk for developing depression.

Trauma and Caregivers:

  • Traumatic pregnancies or traumatic medical events in a child’s life compounds the risk for depression and anxiety in caregivers.
  • Approximately 20% of parents of children with severe illnesses and medical treatment met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder in a 2021 Covid pandemic study.

Articles About Mental Health:

Books

Does My Child Have PTSD: What to Do When Your Child is Hurting from the Inside Out by Jolene Philo

Special Needs Parenting: From Coping to Thriving by Lorna Bradley

Mental Health and the Church: A Ministry Handbook for Including Children and Adults with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, and Other Common Mental Health Conditions by Stephen Grcevich

Still Life: A Memoir of Living Fully with Depression by Gillian Marchenko

References

Ano, G. G., & Vasconcelles, E. B. (2005). Religious Coping and Psychological Adjustment to Stress: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 461-480.

Brehaut, J. C., Guevremont, A., Arim, R., Garner, R. E., Miller, A. R., McGrail, K. M., . . . Kohen, D. E. (2019). Using Canadian Administrative Health Data to Examine the Health of Caregivers of Children With and Without Health Problems: A Demonstration of Feasibility. Retrieved from International Journal of Population Data Science: www.ijpds.org

Caruso, Jill M. “Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Experienced by Parents of Children with Special Needs and Self-Care Techniques.” ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2017.

Corsi, M., Orsini, A., Pedrinelli, V., Santangel, A., Bertelloni, C. A., Carli, N., . . . Carmassi, C. (2021). PTSD in Parents of Children with Severe Diseases: A Systematic Review to Face Covid-19 Impact. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 1-7. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-021-00957-1

Gajeton, K. L. (2015). Religious Coping and Spiritual Struggles in Parents of Children with Autism Specturm Disorder. Virginia Beach, VA: Regent University.

Grubbs, J. B., Wilt, J., Stauner, N., Exline, J. J., & Pargament, K. I. (2016). Self, Struggle, and Soul: Linking Personality, Self-Concept, and Religious/Spiritual Struggle. Personality and Individual Differences, 144-152.

Keshavarz-Afshar, H., Sheikh, M., Karimian, A., & Ghahvehchi-Hosseini, F. (2016). Relationships Between Attachment to God and Marital Satisfaction and Mental Heath in Parents of Children with Special Needs. International Journal of Behavioral Science, 35-39.

McGuire, J. M., & Pace, A. C. (2018). Self-Stigma of Depression in Christians Versus the General Population. Mental Health, Religion, & Culture, 601-608.

Scherer, N., Verhey, I., & Kuper, H. (2019). Depression and Anxiety in Parents of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS ONE, 1-18. Retrieved from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0219888

Disability Parenting