Mental Health

Whether you’re managing depression or struggling to find joy this season, the First Presidency Christmas devotional invites us to remember the light.

While missionaries’ challenges are many, our support from home can make a big difference! Here are a few practical ways parents and friends can help.

Rather than hiding our mistakes, Kathryn Davis of the Magnify podcast shares how we can celebrate failure as a essential part of God's plan for us.

In my early thirties, I watched general conference for the first time and experienced a long-awaited message from Heavenly Father that began to heal some deep-seated wounds.

When you feel pressure to make perfect choices, remember that our missteps can teach us about ourselves and strengthen our faith in Christ.

We are a church that believes in repentance, and confession is one of the steps of repentance. However, do we understand the purposes of confession and a priesthood representative’s role in the repentance process?

OCD attacks the things you care about most. So, what does it look like when it attacks someone of deep faith?

“What’s the Spirit and what’s my anxiety?” These insights will help you see the difference and help you draw closer to God’s light.

God will always love His children—that's the message Abraham Thomas hopes to share in his song “Love Me Today.”

Nathan Pacheco strives to lift his listeners to a place where believing everything will be OK becomes possible, even natural. After all, that’s what music has done for him—provide relief from darkness by inviting in God’s warm light.

“How often do we miss the joy all around us because we have a fear, duty, or disappointment facing us and we can’t see past it?”

For some, the biannual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a joyful time. ... But for others, general conference can be a time of stress and has the potential to induce guilt.

Church leaders today are not naive to the exponential growth in the number of individuals around the world struggling with their mental health.

When I find myself longing to feel comfortable in my own skin again, I have found a perhaps unusual source to be one of the best remedies: the Book of Mormon.

“This was a special project for us to be a part of,” Leavitt says. “It was a way to honor those people who have lost their lives to mental illness.”

If you have experienced feelings of anxiety about gospel questions, you are not alone—and you can learn to diminish your anxiety and find peace.

If your 8-year-old had just a few minutes to sit down with NFL star and Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, what do you think they would talk about?

“There is hope in purposeful action. It provides us a measure of control, meaning, and determination that is very different from the feelings that come from passively waiting.”

The word “anxiety” is mentioned only eight times in the Book of Mormon. Four of these times it is used by the prophet Jacob. Looking at his life, it makes sense that he probably experienced anxiety.

“As you look into the many excellent options available for mental health improvement, please don’t leave the Savior out of this process.”

Are mental health challenges part of divine design for our growth? Are they effects of choices made by others that afflict our development?

In talking with friends who are wrestling with their testimonies, I’ve noticed a common concern: They’re not feeling the joy of the gospel.

In a new video, Relief Society General President Jean B. Bingham talks about emotional resilience.

When Elder Jeffrey R. Holland speaks, one question frequently comes up: How should one care for their own mental health and emotional well-being?

“Mental health challenges can impact anyone, regardless of education, geography, faith, calling, or family,” the Church’s website reads.

A wise therapist once told me that life isn’t really about being happy. It’s about finding peace. This lesson struck me with renewed force when I learned the story behind our beloved Latter-day Saint hymn “Where Can I Turn for Peace?”

Global research shows mental health issues in youth have doubled since the pandemic.

Now, more than ever, we need to keep talking about depression and doing things to help those who feel desperately alone. 

When I told my friend we were in the same boat, she balked. And for good reason: no two experiences with mental illness are the same. But I meant it in a number of ways.

When approaching mental health, faith and reason may be a pair of opposite errors, according to BYU professor Daniel K Judd.

In a new video, Steve Young shares his personal experiences with anxiety and mental health challenges as a young man and as an athlete.

When we understand the relationship between Christ's grace and our own good works, religion can positively influence our lives.

Some may be surprised to learn that Steve Young, San Francisco Forty-Niners quarterback and Super Bowl MVP, suffered with separation anxiety disorder. Here’s how his wrestle with anxiety has shaped his life.

Elder Erich W. Kopischke spoke candidly about the challenges of mental health and recommended a powerful Church resource.

I was a returned missionary and Relief Society president, and yet I felt miserable, weak, lonely, and convinced of my absolute spot in hell.

This article was originally published by LDS Living in March 2020.

I have been a licensed psychologist for almost 20 years. I often get asked whether I think mental health challenges are on the rise, especially among today’s youth. The answer is complicated and involves a couple of factors: 1) The stigma of mental health concerns is slowly decreasing, creating greater willingness to talk about such issues, and 2) Society has more mental health resources than it has ever had before, particularly in the form of outreach.

Not long ago, I was at Walt Disney World with family. We were in line for one of the more intense attractions at the resort—the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This attraction is housed in a very creepy-looking hotel, full of ghostly sights and sounds. Following an elaborate preshow, you enter a modified elevator where you are strapped into your seat. At some point, in the pitch black and without warning, the elevator car plunges more than 10 stories to the ground, then accelerates up and down the shaft in a frantic motion. The experience is incredible, potentially terrifying, and one of my favorites.

As a mental health professional whose desire is to help people with mental health concerns, I was dismayed by some of the feedback I received publicly and privately about a recent article of mine that was shared on LDS Living.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has provided wonderful mental health resources in recent years. There is even an entire “mental health” section in the Gospel Library on the Church’s website. The content is excellent, and I encourage you to explore it.

As part of the Deseret Book Live! series, psychologist and author Wendy Ulrich offered valuable, frank tips on how to stay mentally healthy during COVID-19.

In the Church video “You Are His Child,” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reminds others of God’s unceasing justness and kindness.

In a new video on the mental health website for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles teaches “those with the greatest need often need the greatest compassion.”

Oftentimes, it seems that those struggling with mental illnesses have a stigma around them when what they really need is kindness and understanding. In the most recent issue of the Ensign, author Sarah P. Hancock tells her story of her battle with mental illness and how her bishop showed the compassion that she needed.

Over the years, the Church has released numerous inspirational videos on a myriad of topics, ranging from overcoming addiction to living with mental illness and most everything in between. These inspired messages are meant to uplift and help individuals persevere through the many challenges and hardships of life.