New book spotlights mental health stigma in churches

By AI, Created 10:17 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – A new book released during Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 argues that faith communities can better support people facing burnout and mental illness. The launch lands alongside survey data showing many Christians and pastors still struggle to talk openly about mental health in church settings.

Why it matters: - Mental health stigma in churches can keep believers from seeking help, even when they are struggling with burnout, anxiety or depression. - The book argues that faith and medical care can work together, not compete, which could change how churches respond to mental illness. - The release aligns with Mental Health Awareness Week 2026, when the focus is on turning awareness into action.

What happened: - Stanley Glancy published When Faith Feels Far: A Guide for the Weary, the Burned-Out, and Anyone Who’s Given Up on Faith this spring through Notion Press. - The book examines faith, burnout and mental health inside religious communities. - The launch is tied to Mental Health Awareness Week 2026, which runs 11-17 May and uses the theme “Action.” - The book is available now in paperback and eBook through Amazon and major retailers worldwide.

The details: - A 2022 Kintsugi Hope survey found that 91% of Christians surveyed said mental illness is stigmatised in church. - The same survey found that 43% said they had experienced a mental health issue at some point. - Lifeway Research found that 35% of Americans believe mental illness can be overcome through Bible study and prayer alone. - Lifeway Research also found that 49% of US pastors say they rarely or never speak about mental illness from the pulpit. - The book uses fictionalised composites drawn from a decade of cross-cultural conversations. - One composite character, Oliver, is described as an autistic believer told for 32 years to “pray more” before a panic attack led to a diagnosis. - The book offers practical guidance for when prayer feels impossible, permission to rest without guilt, and a framework for combining faith and mental health care. - The Mental Health Foundation set the 2026 Mental Health Awareness Week theme and is urging individuals, workplaces and communities to move beyond awareness into practical steps. - Stanley Glancy is a London-based writer and communications professional who has lived and worked in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and India. - Glancy said the book was shaped by more than a decade of conversations with believers in over a dozen countries who described the same exhaustion in different languages.

Between the lines: - The book is aiming at a tension many religious communities still face: people want spiritual support, but they may not feel safe naming mental illness in church. - The survey data suggests the problem is not limited to one country or one denomination. - Glancy is framing mental illness as a health issue that belongs in the same conversation as prayer and pastoral care. - The focus on small, sustainable actions suggests the book is designed as a practical tool, not just a critique.

What’s next: - The book’s availability in major retail channels could widen its reach beyond church audiences. - Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 may give the book added visibility as churches and nonprofits look for practical responses to the theme of “Action.” - The wider question is whether faith communities will move from acknowledging stigma to changing how they discuss and respond to mental illness.

The bottom line: - When Faith Feels Far argues that churches can be places of support rather than silence, if spiritual care and mental health care are treated as partners.