“Questions and Answers about Mental Health,” Liahona, Sept. 2025.
From YA Weekly
Questions and Answers about Mental Health
All that’s unfair about life will be made right because of Jesus Christ.
Finding joy in the gospel of Jesus Christ while balancing mental health challenges can sometimes feel impossible. Forces that are difficult to control can prevent us from feeling the influence of the Holy Ghost, perhaps making us question why we keep trying.
Although the Lord has not revealed all the answers to our heartfelt pleadings, He has provided guidance, counsel, comfort, and hope through His prophets and apostles and other Church leaders.
Here are some of their inspired words that can help answer common questions asked by young adults. If some of these questions are also weighing on your mind, know that the gospel of Jesus Christ will bring you peace and hope when nothing else can.
Feeling the Spirit
Q: Are my mental health challenges the result of a sin?
A: “It is important to recognize that [mental illness] is not the result of weakness, nor is it usually the result of sin. … Together, we can break through the clouds of isolation and stigma so the burden of shame is lifted and miracles of healing can occur.”
Sister Reyna I. Aburto, former Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, “Thru Cloud and Sunshine, Lord, Abide with Me!,” Liahona, Nov. 2019, 58.
Q: Why am I not getting better when I’m doing what’s right?
A: “Don’t assume you can fix everything, but fix what you can. If those are only small victories, be grateful for them and be patient. Dozens of times in the scriptures, the Lord commands someone to ‘stand still’ or ‘be still’—and wait. Patiently enduring some things is part of our mortal education.”
President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Like a Broken Vessel,” Liahona, Nov. 2013, 41.
Q: How can I know I’m getting answers to prayers when my mental health makes them hard to recognize?
A: “In many of the uncertainties and challenges we encounter in our lives, God requires us to do our best, to act and not be acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:26), and to trust in Him. … We frequently may press forward hoping and praying—but without absolute assurance—that we are acting in accordance with God’s will. But as we honor our covenants and keep the commandments, as we strive ever more consistently to do good and to become better, we can walk with the confidence that God will guide our steps.”
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “The Spirit of Revelation,” Liahona, May 2011, 90.
Q: How can I feel joy in the gospel when depression makes it so hard to feel joy?
A: “As you search the word of God for a deeper understanding of God’s eternal plan … and strive to walk in His Way, you will experience ‘the peace of God, which passeth all understanding’ [Philippians 4:7], even in the midst of sorrows. You will feel a greater measure of God’s unsurpassable love swelling within your heart. The dawn of celestial light will penetrate the shadows of your trials, and you will begin to taste the unspeakable glories and wonders of the unseen, perfect, heavenly sphere. You will feel your spirit lifting away from the gravity of this world.”
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “A Higher Joy,” Liahona, May 2024, 69.
Accessing the Power of Jesus Christ
Q: How can I learn to trust and rely on Christ when I feel like I can’t trust myself because of my mental health challenges?
A: “The more you learn about the Savior, the easier it will be to trust in His mercy, His infinite love, and His strengthening, healing, and redeeming power. …
“… If everything and everyone else in the world whom you trust should fail, Jesus Christ and His Church will never fail you.”
President Russell M. Nelson, “Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains,” Liahona, May 2021, 103, 104.
Q: Does Christ really know how I feel?
A: “There may be no family member, friend, or priesthood leader—however sensitive and well-meaning each may be—who knows exactly what you are feeling or has the precise words to help you heal. But know this: there is One who understands perfectly what you are experiencing, who is ‘mightier than all the earth’ [1 Nephi 4:1], and who is ‘able to do exceeding abundantly above all that [you] ask or think’ [Ephesians 3:20].”
Elder Matthew S. Holland of the Seventy, “The Exquisite Gift of the Son,” Liahona, Nov. 2020, 46.
Feeling God’s Love
Q: Does God still love me even though I have mental health challenges?
A: “Maybe there is a chorus of voices of discouragement and darkness that weighs into your thoughts, messages telling you that you are too wounded and confused, too weak and overlooked, too different or disoriented to warrant heavenly love in any real way. If you hear those ideas, then please hear this: those voices are just wrong. We can confidently disregard brokenness in any way disqualifying us from heavenly love.”
Elder Karl D. Hirst of the Seventy, “God’s Favourite,” Liahona, Nov. 2024, 11.
Q: Why doesn’t God take away this challenge?
A: “In striving for some peace and understanding in these difficult matters, it is crucial to remember that we are living—and chose to live—in a fallen world where for divine purposes our pursuit of godliness will be tested and tried again and again. Of greatest assurance in God’s plan is that a Savior was promised, a Redeemer, who through our faith in Him would lift us triumphantly over those tests and trials, even though the cost to do so would be unfathomable for both the Father who sent Him and the Son who came. It is only an appreciation of this divine love that will make our own lesser suffering first bearable, then understandable, and finally redemptive.”
President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Like a Broken Vessel,” Liahona, Nov. 2013, 40.
Choosing to Live
Q: If I know the next life will be better, why should I continue living this one?
A: “Whatever your concerns or difficulties, death by suicide is manifestly not the answer. It will not relieve the pain you are feeling or that you think you are causing. In a world that so desperately needs all the light it can get, please do not minimize the eternal light God put in your soul before this world was. Talk to someone. Ask for help. Do not destroy a life that Christ gave His life to preserve. You can bear the struggles of this mortal life because we will help you bear them.”
President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Fear Not: Believe Only!,” Liahona, May 2022, 36.
“Whatever your struggle, my brothers and sisters—mental or emotional or physical or otherwise—do not vote against the preciousness of life by ending it! Trust in God. Hold on in His love. Know that one day the dawn will break brightly and all shadows of mortality will flee.”
President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Like a Broken Vessel,” Liahona, Nov. 2013, 42.
Supporting Loved Ones
Q: How can I support my loved one who is facing mental health challenges?
A: “Educating ourselves about mental illness prepares us to help ourselves and others who might be struggling. Open and honest discussion with one another will help this important topic to receive the attention it deserves. After all, information precedes inspiration and revelation. These all-too-often invisible challenges can affect anyone, and when we are facing them, they appear insurmountable.
“One of the first things we need to learn is that we are certainly not alone. I invite you to study the topic of mental health in the Life Help section of the Gospel Library app. Learning will lead to more understanding, more acceptance, more compassion, more love. It can lessen tragedy while helping us develop and manage healthy expectations and healthy interactions.”
Elder Erich W. Kopischke of the Seventy, “Addressing Mental Health,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 38.
Q: One of my loved ones died by suicide because of mental health challenges. What will happen to them?
A: “There’s an old sectarian notion that suicide is a sin and that someone who [dies by] suicide is banished to hell forever. That is totally false. I believe the vast majority of cases will find that these individuals have lived heroic lives and that suicide will not be a defining characteristic of their eternities.”
Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Renlund: Understanding Suicide” (video), Gospel Library.
Moving Forward and Looking Upward
Some answers God gives us are different from what we hoped for, and some answers won’t come in this life. While we don’t know everything now about why many of us battle mental health challenges, we can take heart in the promise that one day we will have a perfect understanding of all things. Our efforts—no matter how fruitless they may feel at times—will all be made worth it (see Galatians 6:9; Doctrine and Covenants 58:3).
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “Faith is beautiful because it persists even when blessings don’t come as hoped for. We can’t see the future, we don’t know all the answers, but we can trust Jesus Christ as we keep moving forward and upward because He is our Savior and Redeemer.”
As you and those you love navigate the complexities of mental health, remember that all that’s unfair about life will be made right because of Jesus Christ. Keep moving forward and upward—with Him on your side, you can always persevere with hope.