Quest for mental health

As they do twice a year at general conference, top leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this weekend will speak publicly to offer spiritual succor to the faith's 11 million members.

While the discussion of spiritual health has been a constant over time, what has changed — some say dramatically — in recent years is the willingness of those leaders to encourage the quest for mental health, beyond purely spiritual prescriptions such as prayer, fasting and scripture study.

In fact, the church's 173rd Semiannual General Conference beginning Saturday in downtown Salt Lake City comes on the heels of two major conferences of Latter-day Saints focused on everything from bipolar and eating disorders to sexual addiction and pornography.

Elder Alexander Morrison, an emeritus general authority, opened the fall convention of the Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists on Thursday with insights gained from his personal struggle to help his daughter, Mary, deal with chronic mental illness. A book he authored on the topic, "Valley of Sorrow: A Layman's Guide to Mental Illness," was published by Deseret Book earlier this year and has become a best-seller for the LDS-owned bookstore chain.

It is the first book by a top LDS leader about the details of mental illness. Elder Morrison said he wanted to try to "lay to rest a portion of the prejudice, ignorance, misunderstanding and social stigma which continue to dog sufferers and their families."

That the book was published by Deseret Book — whose review committee includes LDS general authorities — and has sold so well is a testament to the fact that "there's a new openness" among leaders to discuss such issues and a recognition of the need.

"Five years ago that book wouldn't have been written," said Rick Hawks, a psychologist who is working with several current and former LDS general authorities to provide a wide array of mental-health materials to Latter-day Saints. Several years ago, he and Elder Morrison were working on a book about mental illness that included help from other general authorities, but when an official in the First Presidency's office found out about it, he told them "you can't do that," Hawks said. "Four to five years ago there was still a clear, 'You can't do that.'"

But it appears some of the restrictions have eased. Through the Hidden Treasures Foundation, a private, nonprofit group run by "volunteers who have no financial interest whatsoever," Hawks said the church is opening some of its own resources that "have been developed over the years but never used."