FROM THE EDITORS August 27, 2007 Issue

THE RIGHT TO MENTAL HEALTH

Editor

OVER THE PAST HALF-CENTURY, the human family clearly has progressed in its treatment of the mentally ill. Most countries no longer allow the execution of persons judged mentally incapacitated at the time they committed a capital crime. Many societies have largely turned away from forced hospitalization to various kinds of transitional housing for individuals not considered a danger to their communities, though some of those discharged from institutions now suffer chronic homelessness. Yet, while the shame once attached to mental illness has faded somewhat, it persists in many cultures.

But perhaps the worst stigma associated with mental diseases resides in the notion that such illnesses are often considered incurable—that the best a sufferer can expect is to maintain a semblance of a normal life through drugs or other therapies. Understandably, there are some cases where drug treatment is mandated.

While our prayers go out to all those who feel trapped in mental illness, and to their caregiving friends and family members, our heartfelt hope also goes out for the spreading recognition that complete healing is possible through prayer-based treatment. As the Christ improves thought, it tenderly supplies the most basic human needs.

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