What shall I do when someone tells me that a voice is telling him to hurt his friend?

Not too long ago, I was about to enter a hospital to visit someone, a middle aged person approached me and asked, “You are a priest. Tell me what to do because a voice in my head is telling me to hurt a friend of mine.” A few days ago, someone was walking by my office window screaming and shouting profanities to God. You could see many people trying to avoid the man as much as they were able. Another one called me on phone and said that she was going to kill herself.

All three looked very healthy. They wore decently. No one would think of them to be sick. Physically there was nothing wrong with them. The one who heard a voice would have passed as a prosperous business person. The young woman would have been one of members in our church. If the man was not shouting and screaming, he could have been my next door neighbour who would take a walk every day to exercise.

Looks and appearances, however, do mislead us. Their words or behaviours reveal to us how sick they are with mental illnesses. The difficulty is that dissonant visual cues confuse us making us to treat them as if they are dangerous. In most cases we try our best to get away from them as quickly as we are able. We become fearful of anyone whom we do not understand.

In my experiences of talking to many who are mentally ill, I discovered that they are not dangerous especially to me. If anything, often they are danger to themselves more than they are danger to others. Just asking few questions can help us overcome our fears of those who act differently than we.

Initially I talked with them because I felt an obligation as a minister. Soon when I overcame my own prejudices and fear, I began relaxing and was able to talk with and come to know them as who they were: God's people who were suffering not with physical but with mental illnesses.

My personal approach in these situations changed. Now, I do my best to see Christ in them as I do my best to see Christ in me. This way of thinking helps me because when I think this way I can talk to them as if they are my own brothers and sisters who are ill. I no longer see them with fear.

Yes, initially I felt very uncomfortable when someone asked what to do when one heard voices or wanted to harm herself. Now, however, I receive each one as one of God's people who requires my love and attention. I do not offer answers and solutions, but share my time and effort to learn from and be taught by each one who comes to share who s/he is and how s/he suffers with pain and anguish.

What would you do if a stranger came up to you and told you that she wanted to hurt someone or herself?