OCD, ADHD, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder . . . these are no longer just technical terms and medical diagnoses, they are part of our common vocabulary and culture. As Christians, we shouldn’t isolate ourselves from this discussion or dismiss these important issues. But we also should be careful not to accept the entire secular psychiatric diagnostic and treatment enterprise without question. What we need is a balanced, biblically (and scientifically) informed approach that neither blindly accepts nor harshly dismisses psychiatric labels, diagnoses, and medicines that are prescribed to help those who are suffering.
As both a Biblical counselor and medical doctor, Michael R. Emlet, MD, gives readers a Christ-centered approach to psychiatry and guides both lay and professional helpers through the thicket of mental health labels and treatments with a biblical lens. In a clear and thoughtful way that puts the person experiencing mental health issues at the forefront, Emlet uses Scripture to show how the Bible engages in the discussion of psychiatric labels and the medications that are often recommended based on those labels. The first book in the “Helping the Helper” series, Descriptions and Prescriptions will give readers a biblical, gospel-formed perspective to help them understand and minister to those struggling with mental health issues.
Descriptions and Prescriptions
Book Details
102 pages
Publisher: New Growth Press
Publication Year: 2017
Contents
Part 1: Understanding Psychiatric Diagnoses
Chapter 1 – Diagnosis is Unavoidable
Chapter 2 – How Are Psychiatric Problems Diagnosed?
Chapter 3 – How Did We Get Here? A Brief History of Psychiatric Diagnosis
Chapter 4 – The Problems and Pitfalls of Psychiatric Diagnosis: Descriptions, not Explanations
Chapter 5 – Problems and Pitfalls: Abnormalizing the Normal
Chapter 6 – Problems and Pitfalls: Redefining Behavior
Chapter 7 – Problems and Pitfalls: The Influence of Culture
Chapter 8 – Implications for Ministry
Chapter 9 – The Value of Psychiatric Diagnoses in Ministry
Chapter 10 – Conclusion: What’s in a Name?
Part 2: Understanding Psychoactive Medications
Introduction: What Do You Hear?
Chapter 11 – Classes of Psychoactive Medications
Chapter 12 – Do Medications Treat a “Chemical Imbalance”?
Chapter 13 – How Effective Are Psychoactive Medications?
Chapter 14 – Walking the Wisdom Tightrope
Chapter 15 – Relieving and Redeeming Suffering
Chapter 16 – Hazards to Spiritual Growth
Chapter 17 – Gifts or Gods?
Chapter 18 – Motives Good and Bad
Chapter 19 – Medications and the Heart, for Better and for Worse
Chapter 20 – Putting It All Together
Chapter 21 – The Wisdom Framework in Action
Chapter 22 – Goldilocks Revisited
