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PASTORAL PSYCHOLOGY
means of committing the act upon which he had all along been
determined.
Although neither the patient nor his friends may be aware
of it, his home environment may hold influences that are
inimical to his recovery, not least among them the
over-solicitude of relatives; and, needless to say, it is precisely these
oversolicitous relatives who most insistently demand the patient’s
release.
Again, in families where there are young children or where
the emotional stability of some members is precarious, the
presence of a depressed patient among them can be very
unjurious to their mental health.
For these and other reasons it is no small part of a pastor’s
duty to ensure, as far as he can, that the families and friends of
depressed people realise that they are seriously ill and should
not be deprived of medical care. He can do a great deal for all
concerned by seeing that there is complete confidence and
mutual understanding between the relatives and the physicians.
Here is a Christian and social task of great importance.
Pastoral Counsel among the Mentally Ill
That the spiritual care of the mentally diseased must be
undertaken with a completely single-minded concern for their
welfare goes without saying; but as we have previously pointed
out, goodwill is not enough. The spiritual adviser must have
clear knowledge of the special needs of the insane, and his
message must be appropriate to those needs whether he be
conducting public worship at a hospital or dealing with
individual patients. He must under no circumstances say
anything that will evoke the patients’ fear and so increase their
depression or anxiety. In private conversation especially he
must bear in mind the variations of mental state that occur in
the course of psychic disease.
In this connection two things should be noticed. First, too
much must not be expected. Those who are unfamiliar with
this kind of work easily make this mistake at first. They visit
patients in hospital and do their best to give help and
consolation. Very soon they gain the impression that the patient is
responding to them. The depression seems to be lifting. The
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