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<\/a><\/p>\nCHAPTER 1<\/h5>\nINTRODUCTION: WHY THIS MATTERS?<\/h5>\n
I grew up in a world when we didn\u2019t know much about mental health problems at all. There really wasn\u2019t a lot of it around us, or if there was, it was hidden and we didn\u2019t have cell phones, computers, and the internet. There were people with handicaps, but we didn\u2019t know much about it unless we happened to have family or friends in that situation. Even then, people didn\u2019t talk about it much. Mostly, we got our information on the local TV stations, the radio, or whatever Hollywood decided to make into a movie or TV series. Back then, a lot of mental illness was associated with stays in mental hospitals and institutions. Unfortunately, that stigma is still around to a large degree.<\/p>\n
Nowadays, the internet is beaming with all kinds of information which is good to a large extent, but how do we know what\u2019s true and what\u2019s false? AI is helping to some degree, but it can only pull from the information that it has access to, so we have to be careful.<\/p>\n
In our present society, it seems that almost everyone is dealing with some kind of mental stress on a daily basis. We live in a very chaotic world. We get most of the news instantaneously and again, we have to filter through it to see what is true and what is false. This takes extra time and that adds to a lot of daily stress.<\/p>\n
There was also a time when we could trust our doctor to tell us what was true, but now it is suggested, even by health care professionals, that we get at least a second opinion from another source on more dangerous procedures. I just read this week about a doctor who was doing surgery to remove a spleen, but instead, he removed the liver and the patient died. How does this even happen?<\/p>\n
Why am I sharing all of this, you might ask? I\u2019m building my case for mental health problems.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve worked for corporations who don\u2019t want their employees to share much private information with their co-workers. \u201cWe have to keep it professional!\u201d or so they say. Why? Well, there could be many reasons, but when co-workers start taking their own lives, certain thoughts surface in our minds, \u2018If we would\u2019ve known, perhaps we could\u2019ve said or done something and they\u2019d still be alive?\u2019 Then the guilt and possibly even shame might start weighing us down. It is human nature to want to help those around us if we can. In society, we can be taught not to do that for various reasons.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m just using the above as quick examples, but there are lots more. So, we can see that society is at a critical place right now. If we don\u2019t make a choice to help others, they might not be here tomorrow. If we don\u2019t ask questions that might make a few people uncomfortable, we might have had a chance to help them avoid a downward spiral. I go into this deeper, later in the book.<\/p>\n
In this book, I talk about four different levels of mental health and what we can do to recognize them. If we can understand and recognize them, it is very likely we can help.<\/p>\n
In our society, if someone is in a car accident and gets hurt, they go to the hospital for help. We can physically see that they are injured and need a certain amount of time to recover and society gives it to them, right?<\/p>\n
However, their wounds go way beyond the physical body. IF THERE IS TRAUMA INVOLVED, there are mental health issues as well. Are we looking? I\u2019ll be sharing some of my story about what I\u2019ve been through personally.<\/p>\n
Every time the head is shaken or hit, there is at least a small degree of trauma. The brain is delicate and every time it is injured, it can add to the previous damage. We only have to look at Mohammed Ali, his boxing career, and later health status to see that. Concussions can be deadly immediately or they can sometimes take years to manifest. If they create an aneurysm, they can cause death at any moment. I experienced an 8mm Cerebral Aneurysm and was a walking time bomb for five years and didn\u2019t know it was there until\u2026<\/p>\n
Not all mental health issues need a licensed doctor or therapist. Sometimes we just need a good friend or family member. Some mental issues are like a simple bump in the road. The person trips and falls to the ground, but can be helped up to continue walking. However, some issues can be catastrophic if not helped professionally in the moment. We will also deal with this later.<\/p>\n
So, does this help to explain why we need to talk about mental health more with each other and why it should be okay without the person feeling shame or that they are going to be put in a place they don\u2019t want to be? At the Montgomery Country Behavioral Health & Suicide Prevention Task Force in Texas our motto is this: IT\u2019S OK TO NOT BE OK!<\/p>\n
Now, in the next few chapters, I\u2019m going to tell a bit of my story and share some of my understanding from personal experience and also from my Christian walk. Feel free to skip this section if you want, but it might help you broaden your understanding more and maybe see some things you haven\u2019t considered before. Nevertheless, the rest of the information in this book is critical in order to even begin to understand the Mental Health Crisis.<\/p>\n
I do believe that what I have to share about the spirit realm will give you a greater understanding of mental health and explain some of the things that people often see, but don\u2019t understand. Some question these things, but don\u2019t know where to go to get the answers they seek. So whether you believe or not, I hope that at the very least, it gives you more knowledge so that you can make better choices in how you want to help others. It might even keep you safe from dangerous situations you don\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n
There used to be a vast chasm between faith based professionals, mental health professionals, and medical health professionals, but times are changing and I\u2019m seeing it happen personally. I\u2019m encouraged by the fact that we can actually come together and help the whole person, instead of just one of the pieces.<\/p>\n
So, please keep an open mind as you read through the rest of this book. I am an Ordained Minister so I speak mainly from this perspective, but I\u2019ve also experienced a lot of mental and medical health challenges. Through those experiences, I\u2019ve had professional counsel and surgeries. I\u2019ve also listened to a lot of professionals speak on some of these topics. I\u2019ve tried to give you the best guidance that I could, but if you have questions or doubts about any of it, search for the answers for yourself. Only you can make the right choices for your life. I am so glad that you are a part of making our world a better place, just from you being in it.<\/p>\n
There are some resources at the back of the book you can use to further your knowledge and training. Here\u2019s to your journey!<\/p>\n
Blessings, grace, and love in your journey,
\nJoseph James<\/p>\n
Publish Target Date: August 1, 2026<\/h3>\n
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