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WOF 425: Understanding the Mental Health Crisis

Bishop Robert Barron and Brandon Vogt

February 19, 2024

Friends, we are in the midst of a mental health crisis, with many calling it another pandemic. Record-high numbers of Americans are facing depression and suicide. Nearly half of young people report feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness. What’s behind this crisis, and how can the Church help? That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show.”

A listener asks, is “just war theory” a concession to human weakness? How do we square that with Jesus’ teachings on non-violence?

00:00 | Intro
01:09 | USCCB recap on surrogacy
03:49 | Why the mental health crisis matters to bishops
06:00 | Social media’s role in damaged mental health
09:39 | Community’s role in healing mental health
13:03 | The connection between psychological and spiritual suffering
16:09 | Religious disaffiliation and mental illness
17:47 | Who is St. Dymphna?
18:40 | A word for those wrestling with poor mental health
20:55 | Listener question
24:17 | New book—Christ Brings All Newness


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