Mental health seems to be what is in vogue these days. It colors the way we view ourselves. From personal affliction to interpersonal relational conflicts, the aura of mental health language hangs over the entire conversation. As I see patients in the emergency department, the number of people who present with some psychiatric comorbidity or speak of their problems in the context of mental health is astounding.
A brief review of statistics indicate that the diagnosis of mental health disorders is on the rise. According to the CDC, the percentage of adults receiving treatment for mental health disorders was 21.6% in 2021 which was up from just a few years earlier. There has been a striking rise in rates of mental health disorders and suicidality among teens according to the work of Jonathan Heidt.
Despite this increased attention, mental health, compared to physical health, still seems to be somewhat of an enigma. Though there has been an increased amount of research and attention paid to psychiatric disorders since it was popularized by people like Freud, there is still a great deal that is shrouded in mystery.
As a result, there is much debate over the origins and root causes of mental health disorders. To date, there are no good, validated tests that can clinch the diagnosis of major depressive disorder or schizophrenia. And for disorders like anxiety, phobias or dysphorias, there is much debate about whether these are truly disordered states or rather maladaptive responses in normal people. The best we can do is to classify "disease" into clusters of similar symptoms - but to continue the debate, what then?
We as humans are complex creatures. We exist simultaneously in several different contexts. We are embodied - that is we have a physical body made up of cells and tissues that all interact in a very physical way. We can measure and manipulate our physical function.
We are also a mind. We can think and imagine things that are well beyond the realm of our own physical existence. And notably we can use our mind and reason to make decisions in service to a higher end that would not make sense from a purely physical perspective.
We are also spirit or spiritual. This is the crowning context of them all and what sets us apart from all other living creatures with a body and some form of intellect. There is much discussion about what it means to be spiritual. Separated from a religious contexts, it is a connection with that which is beyond our body and mind. It is that which gives us meaning and purpose. It gives us a sense of morality. But bringing to back in the context of theology, our spiritual self is the part of us what lives in relationship with God - our soul.
The bible speaks of us as humans in each of these contexts:
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deuteronomy 6:5
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Matthew 22:37
Each context is a unique aspect of our existence. But each context also overlaps with the others. A problem in one area can have effects in another. In Psalm 32, David writes,
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.*
Psalm 32:1-4
As a result, particularly in the area of mental health, this has led to a great deal of debate over the origins, causes, and management of mental health conditions. Secular professionals claim the genesis is a disordered working of the brain compounded by social and environmental factors. Theologians claim biblical jurisdiction stating that mental health disorders are caused by the brokenness that comes from sinfully living in a sinful world. With two groups asserting two different causes and solutions, the key question is how aught pastors, biblical counselors, Christian physicians and even believers suffering view mental health and respond?
This book is written to help address these tensions. As a physician and a biblical counselor, Dr. Micheal Emlet explores a biblical view of mental health disorders and their treatments. Are we embodied souls or souls with bodies? Is the problem in our minds or in our hearts? Or could it be a little of both?
The first part of the book focus on defining and understand psychiatric diagnosis. He discusses the development of our current understanding of mental health disorders from a historical perspective leading up to the present-day DSM. He explores the cultural factors that affect mental health classification and the social factors that result from being labeled with a mental health condition. From a spiritual aspect, he discusses how sin is underlying the brokenness that is evidenced in psychiatric disorders and how being diagnosed does not absolve us from the consequences of this sin.
Part two of the book focuses on treatments. Typically, mental health disorders are treated either by medications, therapy or a combination of both. Emlet discusses the various different medications that are used to treat mental health conditions. He explores the mechanism of action and efficacy of these medications. He views medicines not as a panacea for all ailments or as completely unnecessary - rather as a tool, graciously provided by God, that needs to be applied rightly in the broader context of counseling a patient through a biblical understanding of their condition and circumstances.
This book is primarily written for pastors and counselors. It is written to educate these individuals about mental health and common pharmacologic treatments and help dismantle the bulwark of medical vocabulary and research dogma. However, as a physician who routinely cares for patients with mental health disorders, I found it particularly helpful to see past the surface level of standard psychiatric teaching and think deeply about who we are as individuals and the theology of mental health.
References:
Jonathan Haidt & Greg Lukianoff, Coddling of the American Mind
ความคิดเห็น