Was Mother Teresa Depressed? A Look at Catholic Configurations of Depression and Holiness in View of Mental Health Stigma

When the 2007 publication of Mother Teresa’s private papers revealed her struggles with sadness, despair, and the absence of God, some asked: Was Mother Teressa depressed? This essay analyzes some Catholic responses to this question and argues that they reflect and perpetuate mental health stigma. F...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:  
Bibliographische Detailangaben
1. VerfasserIn: Coblentz, Jessica (VerfasserIn)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
Verfügbarkeit prüfen: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Lade...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Veröffentlicht: Taylor & Francis 2023
In: Journal of disability & religion
Jahr: 2023, Band: 27, Heft: 2, Seiten: 223-246
weitere Schlagwörter:B Mother Teresa
B mental health stigma
B Pope Francis
B Catholic
B Holiness
B Depression
Online Zugang: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:When the 2007 publication of Mother Teresa’s private papers revealed her struggles with sadness, despair, and the absence of God, some asked: Was Mother Teressa depressed? This essay analyzes some Catholic responses to this question and argues that they reflect and perpetuate mental health stigma. Furthermore, these commentaries contribute to mental health stigma in a distinctly Christian fashion by casting depression and holiness as mutually exclusive. In response, the essay draws on Pope Francis’s Gaudete et exsultate to correct the impoverished notion of holiness that underpins this expression of mental health stigma in Catholic and other Christian communities.
ISSN:2331-253X
Enthält:Enthalten in: Journal of disability & religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/23312521.2022.2036296