Christian Counseling Today Vol. 21, Iss. 2

christian counseling today

Vol. 21 no. 2

n more than 30 years of psychiatric

practice, it is still common for peo-

ple of faith to confess shame, guilt,

embarrassment and spiritual con-

fusion over their struggles with mental

illness. My average patient is more com-

fortable asking for prayer for cancer than

mentioning a mental or “emotional”

struggle to his or her faith community.

Most of my patients struggle in silence as

they have heard mental illness described

as being a function of spiritual weakness,

a personality deficit, a salvation issue or

the lack of properly applied faith. They

have tried to pray it away, claim appro-

priate Scriptures, simply get over it or

plead for a miracle. When the immediate

miracle does not transpire, some become

so frustrated and hopeless they curse the

day they were born (Job 3).

There are two basic problems

with the inherent thesis that Chris-

tians should be immune from mental

illness. First is the assumption that it

is inconsistent with a biblical world-

view for a person of faith to struggle

with emotional issues. This orientation

means the abundant life of John 10:10

does not include seasons of despair and

emotional agony. Moreover, depres-

sion, anxiety, fear and confusion are not

considered fruits of the Spirit and, thus,

not part of the victorious Christian

life. However, this stance can only be

properly defended if one omitted most

of the Psalms, the Book of Job, many of

the personal experiences of the proph-

ets, most of Isaiah 53, and the entire

Book of Lamentations.

Jesus would have healed everyone

the same way… and instantaneously.

There would be no room for mul-

tiple variations of touching the eyes

in healing. Words such as “suffering”

and “heaviness” would need biblical

omission and the Apostle Paul would

not have a “thorn in the flesh” that he

could not pray away. There would not

be a need for a community of faith to

comfort one another (I Thessalonians

5:11); listen to, and pray for, each other

(James 5:16); and support each other

through all manner of trauma and pain

(Galatians 6:2, Acts 20:35, I Thessalo-

nians 5:14). The reality is that the Bible

is a “book of trauma” that describes

many lives that were punctuated with

pain. The message of the Bible is that

God cares and has provided help for us

to respond differently to the pain we

experience.

Second, this position assumes that

emotional symptoms consistently

dictate a specific affective or spiritual

causation, leaving no room for medi-

cal intervention. This is not defendable

biblically as Nehemiah, David, Jer-

emiah, Job, Peter, Judas, Ezekiel and

Elijah were all depressed at some point

in their lives—for very different, not

uniform, reasons. Furthermore, this

view leaves no room for the impact of

the central nervous system, especially

the brain, as a mediator of emotional

issues. In fact, the brain is not treated

as an organ but, instead, relegated to a

hybrid status as part physical and part

spiritual.

In reality, the brain is an organ

that impacts emotional perception and

mood regulation, along with a myriad

of other functions—motor movement,

cognition, basic body drives (e.g.,

breathing, memory, and sensory percep-

tions such as hearing, sight, and taste),

etc. As an organ, the health of the brain

can be affected by toxins, infections,

hormonal and metabolic imbalances,

sleep deprivation, head injuries, insulin

resistance, inflammation, degenerative

changes, vitamin deficiencies, changes

in blood supply, tumors, autoimmune

diseases, and measurable genetic defects

in the synthesis and management of

brain chemicals such as serotonin. All

of these factors can result in emotional,

cognitive or behavioral symptoms that

are consistent with mental illness.

The use of psychotropic medica-

tions as part of a holistic treatment plan

is often frowned upon by people of

faith and their theology who, as Chris-

tians, believe they could be spiritually

harmed by taking them. The rant about

psychiatry is often misapplied, espe-

cially given the fact that the majority of

psychiatric medications in this country

are written by primary care physi-

cians and gynecologists. Nevertheless,

even appropriately used medications

should not be a substitute for Chris-

tian counseling or spiritual formation.

Medication may decrease depression

and isolation, but it does not promote

joy or unconditional love… it can

decrease worry, but cannot give peace

in the midst of trouble… it can reduce

rage about trauma, but does not synthe-

size forgiveness.

I encourage churches to actively

train and deploy “Christian firemen”—

running toward those being devastated

by the “flames” of mental illness when

everyone else is running away. Men-

tal illness is very common within

our churches and local communities.

When we see people in need, we must

endeavor to create a safe environment

and listen to them, for they are our

brethren (James 1:19). Then, we should

minister to them with the trifecta of

faith-based care—hope based on God’s

love, appropriately applied science, and

the ultimate truth of God’s Word.

✠

Michael R. Lyles,

M.D.,

is an AACC Executive

Board Member and is in

private practice with Lyles &

Crawford Clinical Consulting

in Roswell, Georgia.

Michael R . Lyles , M .D.

shrink notes

The Church and Mental Illness