LDS therapists' workload expected to rise

history of mental health disorder, 91 percent complete their missions, Doty said. "Of those released for emotional causes, 60 percent had mental health disorders that occurred in the field or were not revealed on the application."

The church's First Presidency recently reissued the letter sent to stake and ward leaders in 2003 that asked them to "raise the bar" for prospective missionaries, making sure they are qualified physically and mentally and are emotionally mature, he said.

Doty recommended three ways to better deal with mental health issues in the mission field, including:

• Preparing mission presidents to expect that missionaries will have issues that need attention, rather than thinking they shouldn't have problems. "We're not apologizing for sending them. Presidents just have to be aware of that and may have to give them some special attention," he said, adding it's not reasonable to keep someone from serving because they have dealt with mental illness in the past or may have trouble adjusting to the rigors of missionary work.

• Improving resources for mission presidents to help deal with mental health issues by recruiting additional LDS volunteers who will serve as area "mental health advisers" in different parts of the world.

• Spreading the assignment of missionaries with mental health conditions more evenly to missions outside the U.S. "where there is appropriate mental health support."

Because there are growing and constant needs for such support, he urged LDS mental health professionals to consider such voluntary service once they retire. Four professionals who have volunteered as mental health advisers for the church shared some of their experiences, agreeing that it was never predictable but provided a kind of fulfillment they hadn't experienced during their paid employment.

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