Christians and Mental Health Care

Photo by Susan Wilkinson on Unsplash

I have spent my life in the church and from about age 15 on I was one of the dreaded ‘PKs.’ That’s right, a preacher’s kid. Right up there with MKs (missionary kids) in our capacity for disruption, PKs can be a handful. Just ask my mom…about my brother! (Love you man!)

But one of the great things about being a PK was having an insider view of the life of the church. Discussing that could take far more words than I have time to write today, but suffice it to say I have been an observer of church-goers and clergy for decades.

I am also a physician, a job which involves constant observation and assessment of human behaviors. And one of the things I have noticed about many Christians in general and many pastors (and their families) in particular is a suspicion about mental health care. This is unfortunate since the pastorate is a very stressful and psychologically complex vocation.

I have seen patients with mental illness who might actually benefit from an exorcism. But I am alternately confidant that no small number of both clergy and believers could benefit from time with a good counselor or psychiatrist. Not because they are crazy, but because they are stressed and wounded. And while it’s fine for pastors to talk to pastors and for church members to seek counseling from pastors, the hard truth is that many pastors just aren’t prepared to be counselors or therapists, and their advice can sometimes come down to ‘have more faith, pray and read your Bible!’

Those are sound words, but they often fail to help others to seek the source of emotional difficulty or learn to think differently. Remember what St. Paul said in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”

Paul here is reminding us that we can control and reshape our thoughts with God’s help. And that the way we think matters. I have encountered so much toxic thinking in the church that needs to be retrained or simply abandoned in order to alleviate fear, depression and suffering. The Kingdom of God would benefit in the end.

What is ironic, however, is that Christians who are suspicious of psychiatric care or counselors are seldom so about medications prescribed for depression or anxiety. There is certainly a place for psychiatric medications, but hopefully not merely to cover over emotional pain like an anesthetic. While many are wonderful medications, some also have significant side effects, which I see regularly.

In particular, anxiety medications which are in the class called ‘benzodiazepines’ (think lorazepam, diazepam, clonazepam…Ativan, Valium, Klonopin respectively) are very effective for serious anxiety. However, they are also highly addictive and very sedating; withdrawal from them can be as perilous as alcohol withdrawal. They are not good for long term anxiety but serve best in short courses. And in the elderly, they can accelerate dementia.

Mental health is crucially important and its management can be very complicated. Christians suffer from mental illness as they do from every other medical affliction in this fallen world.

So if we are willing to take appropriate prescriptions, we should also be willing to consider seeking help from counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists. It is no shame, or sin, to do so. And it may help liberate believers in ways unimagined.