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SAN JOSE, June 27, 2008 -"There is hardly any family or congregation that is not touched by serious mental illness," says the Rev. B. Gordon Edwards (Cimarron Presbytery), who was instrumental in bringing "Comfort My People: A Policy Statement on Serious Mental Illness" to the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for adoption.

Serious mental illness is defined in the policy as "severe and persistent medical disorders characterized by impairment in mood or behavior that cause distress and/or impairment in spiritual, interpersonal, and behavioral functioning. Characteristic symptoms of serious mental illness include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, extreme mood changes, overwhelming hopelessness and sadness, severely impaired perception, judgment, or insight, and problems with concentration and attention."

Serious mental illness affects one's ability to cope with everyday challenges.

While many actions and policies are the result of General Assembly action, the task force responsible for crafting it hopes that the recommendations will be studied and adopted by presbyteries and congregations to be of better service to those impaired by mental illness.

Some of the recommendations to presbyteries include specific suggestions for how to set up continuing education for pastors and lay pastors in identification of and intervention strategies for those suffering from mental illness.

Sessions and congregations are urged to:

• Prominently display educational material regarding serious mental illness and pamphlets for advocacy groups;

• Subscribe to newsletters or Web-based information updates from agencies and post in newsletter/bulletin boards;

• Provide support and advocate for individuals and families affected by serious mental illness;

• Provide meeting room space for support groups and guidance for prayer-based support programs;

• Advocate for establishment of funding of not-for-profit agencies, counseling centers and treatment programs for persons who struggle with mental illness, including those with dual diagnoses of alcohol and drug abuse;

• Work to end the stigma of serious mental illness within the congregation and in the surrounding community;

• Invite local mental health professionals to address serious mental illness in small groups and worship services, and encourage family members with serious mental illness to attend them;

• Create a church environment open to the transforming work of God where people know confidences will be kept and they will be accepted and supported when they ask for help;

• Encourage all members to prepare a Psychiatric Advance Directive (PAD), which specifies plans for their treatment in case of a mental health emergency;

• Encourage greater awareness regarding race, ethnicity, gender, name, age and language as these relate to persons with a serious mental illness;

• Inform and encourage veterans within the congregation to seek available resources to help them, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and The American Legion.

"Our work is for everyone to use, not file away," said Edwards. "It's time to lift the stigma and welcome God's people home."

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