Swastha Educational & Charitable Trust

Prayer for the Mentally Ill And Their Families

All loving God of our creation, we humbly pray for your mercy upon our brothers and sisters who suffer from mental illness and their families. We believe that you created us and also sustain and preserve us. We believe that we have many illnesses like cancer, heart attacks and that mental illness is one which evades cure many a time. We fail to clearly understand how and why it happens

Forgiving Father, we plead for your mercy as we did a lot of blunders in understanding and helping our brothers and sisters who behaved "abnormally". We chained, locked their hands and legs in very cruel ways, beat, kicked, starved, abused, allowed/made them to live in inhuman/filthy conditions. We ask your mercy for our indifference towards mentally ill and their families. We beg your pardon for our ignorance, and also because we isolated them, laughed at them, made sarcastic comments, gave them unbearable sorrows to satisfy our ego. We forgot the truth that we all are created in your own image and sin has separated us from YOU and caused us suffering including mental illness.

Merciful God, we pray for the mentally ill who act in ways we cannot understand. Their behaviors such as silence, laughter, cries, hyper activities, never ending arguments, fighting in many ways, sometimes not caring for themselves, accusing others of untruthful things, always suspicious of others motives, and blaming themselves and others perplex us. We are frightened at those who appear decent and like one of us but rarely speak the truth, always manipulating and making up stories for their own gain. Father, we pray for your love for those who hurt themselves, for those who are always gloomy and sad, those who change their moods very often. We also are concerned for those who think of suicide. We also pray for those who suffer violence because of someone else’s mental illness.

Gracious God, we ask for your never ending care for the loved ones who suffer because their son, daughter, father, mother, husband, wife, brothers and sisters, daughters and sons in law, who are mentally ill. We pray that they be able to withstand courageously the pressures these sick ones put on them. Father, they need your help to bear the pain and agony as they are accused and blamed by these sick brothers and sisters and those who are ignorant of mental illness. Please help these family members and friends to understand that many times, the “sick” behaviors are beyond their control. We know that society may never understand this suffering and find excuses to blame the sick person or their family members. Help these people who are isolated and accused by religious and social leaders, friends and neighbors even though they are the victims of another’s mental illness.

Almighty Father, please help family members to accept these sicknesses as part of human life, even though it is beyond most people’s understanding. Help them to seek help from those qualified to do so. Help each one to think of seeking help rather than stay quiet due to stigma, shame and humiliation. Please help everyone to come out of darkness created by confused religious beliefs, ignorance and stereotype.We pray for the loved ones who are "controlled"by these mentally ill people because of helplessness and lack of support from others in the society.we ask for your mercy for all these isolated individuals and families.

All knowing God, we ask for your wisdom and caring attitude for our physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, behavior specialists, counselors, nurses and all supporting staff in hospitals, clinics, and counseling and rehabilitation centres. Please give them the guidance they need to diagnose, heal and help manage the suffering of patients and their families.

Please help those who suffer and those who help in healing process to realize the limits of human abilities. Please help them not to look for “magical cures”, but to engage with patience, honesty and compassion on both sides. Help them to realize that there are limits to human help. Please help everyone to accept the fact that counseling is not a “magical medicine” for all sickness. We pray for honesty, truthfulness in all forms of treatment. We also ask your help to educational institutions training these professionals to train people that are proficient and compassionate. Please guide those who have dedicated their lives to researching and understanding more about how the mind works and give them your insight. We also submit those who work to make people more aware of mental illnesses under your care.

We pray for all national and state leaders, government officials, politicians, religious and community leaders that they may be willing to fulfill their responsibilities individually and collectively. We pray for religious leaders, community leaders and officials who are in authority over us to seek help if they themselves are sick because they can do lot of harm to innocent people under them. Help us to realize that sickness doesn't discriminate based on education, family and social status, wealth, skin color, nationality or religious or other beliefs.

We trust in your mercy as we seek your favor for all mentally ill people and people around them. As people walk lonely paths, not knowing the future and outcome of their efforts in treatments in the midst of mental illness, help them to stand as “man and woman” facing winds, storms and rain courageously.

All knowing God, we plead for your help to us in understanding the mentally ill people and there families. We know that many of them are walking in lonely paths, not knowing the future. Many see no benefit in their treatments. Most of them are hated by even close relatives and friends. Please help these suffering people to bear this pain.

We see the extreme example of human ignorance in the crucifixion of Saviour JESUS CHRIST. HE prayed:"FATHER forgive them because they do not know what they are doing". We request your mercy for all who suffer because of others ignorance and stereotype believes.

We ask all this in the name of JESUS CHRIST who died on cross because of others ignorance but rose again on the third day.

AMEN