It is a sad fact that most (if not all) do not have a great history in dealing with mental illness. We can forgive them for a lack of awareness of medical science a thousand or more years ago. It was much easier to blame such maladies on witchcraft, spells, demon possession, etc. But these days there is no excuse for not supporting those in faith communities who are suffering from recognized diseases. In her book, ‘Devout,’ Anna Gazmarian details her own journey with bipolar disorder as she attempts to navigate her place within her Evangelical Christian community.
Anna Gazmarian holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the Bennington Writing Seminars. Her essays have been published in The Guardian, The Rumpus, Longreads, The Sun Magazine, and Quarterly West. She works for The Sun Magazine and lives with her daughter in Durham, NC.
