For years, Christians struggling with mental health have been met with well-meaning but inadequate advice: Just pray. Have more faith.
Maybe it was offered with compassion. Maybe with judgment. But too often, it came with an unspoken message—if you struggle with mental health and need help beyond spiritual solutions, it means your faith isn’t strong enough.
That mindset shamed people into silence and treated anxiety, depression or panic attacks as spiritual flaws. Medication? Not needed. Therapy? Fine, maybe. But only if you’ve “exhausted” all spiritual options first.
That narrative, however, is changing.
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that most clergy in the U.S. now view depression as a medical issue and overwhelmingly support professional help, in addition to spiritual. Ninety percent of religious leaders said they recommend seeing a mental health professional, and 87% support people taking prescribed medication.
“Most religious leaders adopted a wholly medical or combined medical and religious view of depression,” said Dr. Brian Miller, one of the study’s authors. “Religious views of depression mainly supplement rather than replace medical views. Religious leaders are important allies in the recognition and treatment of depression.”
The survey, which included nearly 900 clergy across five major religious traditions (though 91.5% were Christian denominations), asked respondents how they would respond to a hypothetical congregant with clinical depression. Nearly all pointed to situational or biological causes—stress (93%), trauma (82%), chemical imbalance (79%).
Only 29% cited a lack of faith, and very few recommended only a religious response.
That’s a significant shift from past approaches Christian leaders handle mental illness. And it matters. According to the CDC, one in four people who seek mental health care also turn to a faith leader. If those leaders are trained, informed and supportive of clinical care, the Church can be a gateway to real healing—not a barrier.
This doesn’t mean faith is irrelevant in mental health care. The same study found that 84% of clergy still recommend prayer, Scripture or other religious practices alongside professional treatment. That kind of integrated care is exactly what many Christians need—support for spirit, mind and soul.
It’s especially critical for Gen Z and millennials, who report higher levels of anxiety and depression than previous generations. According to the American Psychological Association, Gen Z is the most likely to say their mental health is poor and the most likely to seek therapy. But if churches still frame mental illness as a spiritual failure, young people won’t stick around.
Leaders like Rick Warren are helping change that perception. After his son died by suicide, Warren launched the Hope for Mental Health initiative to encourage churches to treat mental illness as a health issue. “God is not disappointed in your mental health struggles,” he told his congregation. “He’s present in them.”
