G.P. Hanes

I think that this article I read a few weeks ago really applies to this topic.

Following are several excerpts from an article by Kurt Grady (I believe that he is a Doctor of Pharmacy), entitled "Turning Sin into Sickness: How Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry Usurp the Word of God." (in: Christianity & Pharmacy, Volume 5, Number 2, 2002, pages 16-24)

"Have we been deceived? In our pursuit of "scientific" truth, have we failed in our primary reason for being--honoring Him? I am speaking primarily of the disturbing social and medical trend of the past one hundred years where through man's revelation, in the name of "scientific" discovery, we have categorized, divided, medicated, and excused as sickness that which God's word calls sin."

"Plainly, any method of counseling that focuses on self and man as the solution to "heart" issues runs absolutely and completely contrary to God's word. Sigmund Freud, as we will see, shaped "modern psychology" turning his own theories into a religion of its own that competes with, not complements, God's word. In essence, Freud's psychology advocates removing responsibility from man, making him a victim. By not believing in any god other than self, Freud isolates man from his Creator and, consequently, gives no hope for victory."

"...for the Christian, there is little clinical psychology or psychiatry can offer in terms of solving life's problems. While there may be sincere people in these positions, that which they bring to bear in problem solving is faulty to the point of being rebellious to God Almighty."

"Jesus Himself, the premier counselor of the ages had no need for psychotherapy. He counseled from scripture and found it to be sufficient. Counseling that is not Biblical, competes with that which is. In is unwise to place one's confidence in something that competes with God."

"Is it sinful to take anti-anxiety drugs, anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, etc? While this is a topic much larger than the space I have here, know that God has given every man, believer and unbeliever alike, a conscience. When we violate that conscience via thoughts and/or behaviors, bad feelings like guilt, sadness, anxiety and the like set in. When we get to the heart issues associated with these feelings, perhaps repentance is in order for some sinful behavior or thought pattern. Perhaps God is giving us an opportunity to endure a trial in order to grow spiritually. Each of us knows the drugs available can take away guilt, anxiety, fear, depression, and the like. Should we chemically blunt the work of the Holy Spirit?"

Azathoth

As shown in this thread,religious belief can definitely be dangerous to one's health.

http://www.iidb.org/vbb/showthread.p...threadid=44141

Most pastors/priests/witchdoctors are trained to see faith,or lack of the same,as the only reason why the mentally ill person is suffering from their problems.The solution for said problem then becomes the lack of faith of the individual.Sending the person to a professional that uses non faith based methods becomes tantamount to a lack of faith.

Since faith,or at least prayer,has,at best,a dubious efficiency,people with mental disorders are done a disservice whenever they are kept away from such treatment options.

Of course,the problem becomes compounded when the individual using the faith based method doesn't recover,or get better.The obvious implication becomes that they don't have enough faith,or that they displease the being that they expect to cure them.

Additional bad feelings can then result,worsening the situation.

I'm not saying that religious people can't help mentally ill individuals,but if they do,they should be doing it with training that comes from the secular mental health field.