Descriptions and Prescriptions

OCD, ADHD, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder . . . these are not just diagnoses from the DSM; they are part of our everyday vocabulary and understanding of people. As Christians, how should we think about psychiatric diagnoses and their associated treatments?

We can't afford to isolate ourselves and simply dismiss these categories as unbiblical. Nor can we afford to accept the entire secular psychiatric diagnostic and treatment enterprise at face value as though Christian Scripture is irrelevant for these complex mental struggles. Instead, we need a balanced, biblically (and scientifically!) informed approach that is neither too warmly embracing nor too coldly dismissive of psychiatric labels and the psychiatric medications that are often prescribed.

Biblical counselor and retired physician, Michael R. Emlet, gives readers a helpful way forward on these important issues as he guides lay and professional helpers in the Christian church through the thicket of mental health diagnoses and treatments in a clear, thoughtful primer in which the Bible informs our understanding of psychiatric diagnoses and the medications that are often recommended based on those labels.

This first book in the Helping the Helper series will give readers biblical, gospel-formed categories that will help them understand and minister to those who are struggling with mental health issues.

1. Opening Credits
2. Dedication
3. Introduction: The Goldilocks Principle
4. Part 1: Understanding Psychiatric Diagnoses | Chapter 1: Diagnosis Is Unavoidable
5. Chapter 2: How Are Psychiatric Problems Diagnosed?
6. Chapter 3. How Did We Get Here? A Brief History of Psychiatric Diagnosis
7. Chapter 4: The Problems and Pitfalls of Psychiatric Diagnosis: Descriptions, not Explanations
8. Chapter 5: Problems and Pitfalls: Abnormalizing the Normal
9. Chapter 6: Problems and Pitfalls: Redefining Behavior
10. Chapter 7: Problems and Pitfalls: The Influence of Culture
11. Chapter 8: Implications for Ministry
12. Chapter 9: The Value of Psychiatric Diagnoses in Ministry
13. Chapter 10: Conclusion: What’s in a Name?
14. Part 2: Understanding Psychoactive Medications | Introduction: What Do You Hear?
15. Chapter 11: Classes of Psychoactive Medications
16. Chapter 12: Do Medications Treat a “Chemical Imbalance”?
17. Chapter 13: How Effective Are Psychoactive Medications?
18. Chapter 14: Walking the Wisdom Tightrope
19. Chapter 15: Relieving and Redeeming Suffering
20. Chapter 16: Hazards to Spiritual Growth
21. Chapter 17: Gifts or Gods?
22. Chapter 18: Motives Good and Bad
23. Chapter 19: Medications and the Heart, for Better and for Worse
24. Chapter 20: Putting It All Together
25. Chapter 21: The Wisdom Framework in Action
26. Chapter 22: Goldilocks Revisited
27. Closing Credits