| Title | Perceptions of Serious Mental Illness in the Local Church | 
| Publication Type | Journal Article | 
| Year of Publication | 2008 | 
| Authors | Stanford, MS, McAlister, KR | 
| Journal Title | Journal of Religion, Disability & Health | 
| Volume | 12 | 
| Pages | 144–153 | 
| ISSN | 1522-8967 | 
| Abstract | {ABSTRACT} The present study was undertaken to assess the perceptions encountered in the local church by individuals diagnosed with a mental disorder. Participants (n = 85) were self-identified, mentally ill Christians who responded to an anonymous online survey. Analysis of the data found that the church had dismissed the diagnoses of a significantly large number of the study participants (41.2%). Participants who were told that they did not have a mental illness were more likely to: 1) attend church more than once a week and to 2) describe their church as conservative, and/or 3) charismatic {(“Spirit-filled”).} Future efforts to bring the mental health and faith communities together must focus more on the specific conservative and charismatic doctrinal issues that presently limit such collaborations.  |  
| URL | http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15228960802160654 | 
| DOI | 10.1080/15228960802160654 | 
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