As a missionary, and someone who struggled with poor mental health even before I left for the field, this is an important topic to discuss. Unfortunately for many missionaries it is something that often goes unaddressed.
In an article, called Demystifying mental health for missionaries, Catherine Alison suggests four common reasons why this is the case:
1. Obligation to supporters
Supporters want to know that their money is going to good use and therefore are fearful of what supporters may say if they knew the missionary was struggling to keep up with their work.
2. Fear of the career implications
As missionaries we equip ourselves for many years to get to our sent country. We pack up and sell off our belongings and say our goodbyes and take our kids across to the unknown. We have dedicated our lives to sharing the gospel with the people in this country, so the idea that your poor mental health is the reason you and your family may have to leave the country, or even change careers is a very disappointing thought.
3. Limited access to resources
In our sent country there may not be resources for identifying poor mental health, as well as treatment available. Coming back to your home country to get the help is not always easy – physically or financially. For me, getting treatment meant flying out of our village and to another island, and I felt the guilt of cost to supporters when that happened.
4. Cumulative stress
Living on the mission field is not always easy, there is constant exposure to cultural stress as well as unpredictable situations. Things slowly start to wear on you, you feel irritated and frustrated, yet as Catherine states:
Despite these challenges, we simultaneously felt the cognitive dissonance of living a privileged expat in the middle of one of the poorest countries in the world.
Surrounded by grief and death, we felt guilty for feeling stress in the first place. Because we didn’t have it as bad as others experiencing those “big T” traumas.1
I didn’t know when I came to the ends of the earth, l’d also come to the end of myself. The good news is, in both places Jesus was there waiting.2
Dispel The Myths
Some may assume that poor mental health is caused by a lack of trust in God, and physically, symptoms are hard to pinpoint. Just because it is not obvious to others, doesn’t mean it is not real. It is surprisingly normal that missionaries have many extra struggles.
From my own experiences there are many factors that contributed to my poor mental health: an imbalance of hormones in my brain, the isolation of living in a village, the stresses of being a homeschool mum while trying to learn a very difficult language, the family pressures when it’s time to renew your visa, as well as all those unpredictable situations in life where you feel the pressure to help as a missionary, but you feel so out of control in the situation and too inexperienced to deal with it.
The truth is, struggling with mental health is no different to a having a physical illness, or injury, and therefore should be treated accordingly. I believe the first step to taking away the myths about mental health, is to be open and honest and educate others about it.
What can we do about it?
For those struggling with poor mental health themselves, a great article I read by Global Frontier missions gives some practical steps to continue serving amid mental health struggles:
- Acknowledge your struggles.
- Seek Professional Support.
- Lean on community.
- Practice Spiritual Disciplines.
- Prioritize Rest.3
The road to recovery can often feel very bleak for a person who is struggling with mental health issues, so having support can make a world of difference.
Catherine Alison, in her article Demystifying mental health issues for missionaries4, suggests how supporters can help if a missionary is struggling with mental health:
- Ask pointed questions like “How is your walk with God going?”
- Encourage them to rest.
- Give money for them to take a vacation.
- Normalise a well wounded ministry life.
- Fly across the world to see them in their location.
- Supply housing for them if they have an unexpected return home.
- Provide names of mental health professionals for them.
- Subsidise the costs of the mental health professional.
Moving to a new country or culture often means leaving behind your primary support system of family, friends, and church communities.
Loneliness is a common experience for many missionaries, and without adequate relational connections, it can spiral into depression.5
Every person’s mental health story is different, and for me, although it has been difficult it has helped me to understand a bit better the constant battle of mind and fear which the animists that we lived with experienced, as well as a compassion for others who are dealing with mental stress. I know God has used this struggle in my life, and I praise God for it.
- Alison, C. (2023, April 19). Demystifying mental health for missionaries https:/www.thegospelcoalition.org/articles ↩︎
- Liturgies from a life Abroad (2025, February 8) . Linktr.ee/liturgiesforalifeabroad ↩︎
- Global Frontier Missions. (2025, January 17). Serving Jesus on the mission field while battling mental illness https://www.globalfrontiermissions.org/serving-jesus-on-the-mission-field-while-battling-mental-illiness ↩︎
- Alison, C. (2023) Demystifying mental health for missionaries, https://thegospelcoalition.org/articles ↩︎
- Global Frontier Missions. (2025, January 17). Why mental health challenges are common among missionaries. https://www.globalfrontiermissions.org/serving-jesus-on-the-mission-field-while-battling-mental-illness ↩︎
