Faith, meaning and mental health: Miguel Eduardo Dorado's talk at the 3rd Meeting

Among the talks at the 3rd Asperger World Meeting, devoted to suicide prevention, one approached the topic from an angle rarely seen at these events: spirituality. It was given by Miguel Eduardo Dorado Márquez.

Who he is

A lawyer, born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia) in 1997, into a family devoted to law. He was diagnosed with Asperger in adulthood, just a year before the Meeting, after living most of his life without an explanation for his difficulties.

“Faith as an anchor and a hope for life”

“Beyond a theological lecture or a debate, I wanted to offer hope in the middle of problems, of trials, of anguish.”

His talk was not an argument to convince anyone, but a testimony. He drew on a passage from the Gospel of John, chapter 9 — “Jesus heals a man born blind” —: the blindness was not a punishment, and something could come out of the suffering. For years, he said, he too did not understand what was happening to him and kept “walking in faith.”

He spoke of forgiveness as a way to free oneself — “forgiving someone who has hurt you sets you free to walk” — and of the value of community: “we need one another; seek help first.” And he ended without solemnity: “I'm not reinventing the wheel; it's something that has been preached for a long time, but you have to put it into practice.”

A protective factor, not a substitute

The talk fits the framework set out by Dr. Virna Hernández: against suicide risk you have to strengthen the protective factors. A sense of purpose, belonging to a community and a spiritual life are some of them. Dorado made it clear: faith accompanies, but it does not replace professional support or the support of family and friends.