Understanding Mental Illness

This Sunday evening I was visiting one of the guests of the soup kitchen who sleeps on the steps of the church across the street. I’ll call him James. He is one of the most intriguing people I’ve ever met. A man of about 50, he has a smile that captivates you and welcomes you right into his world. Today he mentioned that he can’t take his psychotropic medication every day because it just makes him sleep all the time. He took his young son to church recently and he had just taken his meds. He fell asleep while the preacher was speaking, and the preacher began commenting on the “crack-heads who come in off the street.” His son woke him up feeling very bad. So, James just said, “Let’s get out of here.” He went on to say that he should have commented back to the pastor, who was young, and asked him to get more information before he starts spouting off. He said, “I don’t know why people don’t try to understand. 

I relate this story because it is so easy to judge before knowing the facts. People with mental illness go through this all the time, and, sad to say, the stigma is still alive and well in our society.

Author: Br. Bob Malloy 
Capuchin Soup Kitchen Pastoral Director