If you've ever met people with a mental illness you have probably felt awkward or unsure about how to act around them.

This is exactly the sort of situation that BYU professors John P. Livingstone and Marleen S. Williams, with W. Dean Belnap, M.D., addressed in their recent book.

"Matters of the Mind: Latter-day Helps for Mental Health" is a non-academic book that promotes awareness of mental illnesses from depression and phobias to dementia and Alzheimer's and tells Latter-day Saints how to deal with them.

"Matters of the Mind" addresses both the scientific and spiritual aspects of mental illnesses and encourages proper healing methods in both areas.

"Latter-day Saints like to see things in an LDS context," Livingstone said.

He encourages those with mental illness to read the scriptures for comfort and insight regarding specific problems. He promotes the use of the online version of the scriptures and especially the Topical Guide found at lds.org.

"It's flying across the plains versus walking across the plains," Livingstone said, regarding the scriptures online.

Awareness is also very important according he said. Merely knowing that someone has a mental condition can settle one's mind, and knowing specifics regarding mental illnesses can be especially beneficial.

Elena Pamales, a junior from Puerto Rico majoring in home and family living at BYU said she believes that awareness regarding mental illness is important.

"People should be informed," she said. "If a couple has a baby with a mental problem, they should know about it and how to deal with it."

Illness of the brain is just as important as illness of other parts of the body.

"Just like the heart can get sick, the brain can get sick and needs medication to get better," said author Marleen S. Williams.

Williams goes on to warn Latter-day Saints.

"One of the myths is that if I have faith, I don't need medication," Williams said.

"We're not exempt from it," she continued. "Mortal bodies don't always work optimally."

Williams considered writing "Matters of the Mind" rewarding.

"If ['Matters of the Mind'] can ease the suffering of one person or one family, it was all worth it," she said.

Williams and Livingstone are both former presidents of the Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists.

Copyright Brigham Young University 12 Jan 2009