The Christian Stigma with Medications and Therapy Explained.
A Christ-centered approach that embraces therapy and medication without shame.
Let’s gain a clear and practical understanding (8 min. read):
What’s the core issue why Christians think mental health therapy and medication are signs of weak faith?
What does God think about therapy and medication?
Why Christians should seek professional intervention … it’s a sign of growing faith!
In short, the simple answer is "yes," Christians should consider mental health medications and therapy if and when needed because it's not only wise, it’s Scriptural — and part of the faith journey, not a lack of it.
It’s not a sin to live with mental health challenges; it’s an opportunity for growth.
Yes. Practicing faith in Christ can help. Many psychologists agree spirituality should be part of care because research (e.g., neurotheology) shows that it often speeds recovery, builds resilience, and brings more meaning to life.
But spiritual and social stigma make it complex, creating cultural barriers to getting real help.
1. What the Christian mental health stigma is really about.
The bottom line issue is that mental health is often unseen, unheard, and misunderstood as a personal and spiritual “strength vs. weakness” cultural issue (in and outside the church).
Reports show mental health is a widely accepted topic, but only in theory (2). An August 2024 workplace study revealed mental health is still stigmatized as "weak."
+ CEOs (81%), HR (72%), and employees (67%) all agree that companies view someone with mental health issues as weak or a burden.
+ Hispanic (80%) and Asian (76%) respondents are significantly more likely to agree that companies consider those with mental health issues weak or a burden (3).
+ 79% of employees report that anti-stigma campaigns in the workplace would be valuable, vs. 23% of employers who have implemented anti-stigma awareness (4).
What about the Church? For example, in the U.K.
+ 91% said mental health stigma remained in the Church.
+ 35% said their church particularly supported mental health (5).
A dignity battle fighting against the culture, not “stigma.”
Spiritually strong vs. weak (in relation to mental health challenges) is more complex because there are many Old and New Testament Scriptures used to support this line of thinking, but it’s often a lazy, limited interpretation.
“Lazy theodicy is a form of thinking in which Christians ascribe sinful distance from God, sin, or the demonic to explain the presence of unexplainable (in their view) psychological distress … this way of thinking is not just lazy, it also malignant, choosing to point the finger of ‘evil’ at the most vulnerable people in our society rather than taking the time to work through the complexities of living with a mental health challenge.” (1)
So, a Christian who needs therapy and medication is not thinking it’s a simple “stigma issue” per se; what they’re really feeling and faced with is … fighting against the ingrained culture that subtly reinforces that they are defective and unworthy to God and others. Which is far from the Scriptural truth!
2. God’s heart and presence are most evident in our weakness, and therapy is part of God’s healing—both spiritually and practically.
Biblical "weakness" often includes the meaning of "infirmities" (i.e., sicknesses of any kind, and this includes mental health challenges), and where God is often most evident for restorative work, and where we should be, too (1 Cor. 1:27-28, James 1:25, 2:5; see this article on how salvation is healing care).
God Reveals His Heart for The Weak.
In Luke 11:30-37, a legal, theological expert, who assumed he was loving God and neighbor, but wanted to justify (or boast or flaunt) his own righteousness by asking, “Who is my neighbor?”
Jesus shares the story of the Good Samaritan to specifically and radically define loving our neighbor as first the “weak” and how we need to respond to their pain-point needs (which includes rescuing, therapeutic healing, and restorative care). Jesus redefines who are neighbor is — even those whom we see as our enemy (Matthew 5:37-48).
God longs to be with His children in all their "weakness.” Distance is a foreign concept to Him, and loving our “neighbor” removes all misconceptions (and transforms us in the process).
This Good Samaritan story has a double meaning. First, Jesus is what God the Father looks like in response to go (come to us), rescue, restore, and care for His hurting children, especially the “weak” (Matt. 11:28-30, John 9:1-3). Second, we are to “Go and do the same” for our “neighbor” (Luke 11:37).
This is a simple and brief overview; in future material, I will expand on Biblical reasons God affirms professional/medical interventions as His representatives.
3. Why Christians should consider professional therapy (to unravel and get unstuck so you can flourish).
There are many things about therapy and coaching, but basically, the goal is to help you both unravel the knot and get unstuck from the constant ruminating thoughts, panic-fears, mood instability, and decrease in life, work, school, relationships, etc., so you can discover your unique and flourishing, resilient life.
Yes, (for the pros reading this) I know this, above and bullet points below, are oversimplified, but at least a simple starting point for many.
Unravel the knot. To untangle the complexity of your challenges (thoughts, perceptions, etc.) into a cohesive way to make sense of them and grow from them.
Get Unstuck. To get unstuck by discovering and utilizing various resiliency growth tools to work down, and work through the challenges (stressors).
Experience Unique Growth: Interestingly enough, various studies reveal that, even though we can get stuck in suffering and struggle (mental health challenges), it can be a gateway to deeper personal and spiritual growth and transformation (see Rom. 5:1-5).
Let’s look at a couple of practicals.
(a) Professional Christians: Thousands of Christian therapists and mental health coaches will honor your faith, not impose their beliefs or lead you away from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Their expertise will deepen your union-fellowship and bear fruit in Christ (from and within the challenge). All you have to do is ask them about it.
In fact, we have many incredible therapists and mental health coaches who utilize our curricula because of the growth they provide clients.
(b) Learn Proven Resilience Growth Tools that Overlap with Scripture (in Christ faith)! Many therapeutic tools today are research-proven to decrease many difficult symptoms, improving life meaning and satisfaction. With their help, you can discover these new resiliency tools.
For example, verses like Colossians 3:1-3, Philippians 4:4-9, and many others can easily be tied to psychological concepts and therapeutic tools called “reframing.”
Reframing is not avoiding or bypassing pain (it learns to work through it): These growth tools do not bypass pain, nor focus on blind optimism (will-power, blind faith). Rather, much like the Apostle Paul embraced his suffering with joy (2 Cor. 6:10 “sorrowful yet always rejoicing”), you can begin to both learn and understand the pain, how to respond (not react), and live more confidently as a whole person.
Strength in Christ is learned in challenge (for transformation): The Apostle Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13), but the context of that statement is that he had learned this strength (confident contentment) through every circumstance, both uncertainty and security.
Thus, these reframing concepts, along with other resiliency tools, can help you discover new growth (what you couldn’t see before without their help). See Romans 5:1-5 for the transformation learning and growth process.
There are more scientific and Scriptural overlaps, but that’s just one aspect and a simple overview.
Tip: Your therapist or coach doesn’t need to be your friend—just safe and trustworthy. If you don’t connect, try someone else; professionals expect this and can help refer you to others you might fit better with.
4. Why Christians should consider mental health medications (stabilizing for growth).
The goal of mental health medication is to help stabilize your overall wellness and well-being, so that you can be constructive in your growth journey (with community support and therapy/coaching if needed).
So, if you’re feeling extremely stuck, some of the mental health symptoms are overwhelming your life as mentioned above, you might consider talking to a doctor (and your therapist) about adding medication.
(a) Medication and Doctors are Biblical Resources — God/Jesus often reveals their love and care like a doctor (physician-healer, Exodus 15:26 and Luke 5:31).
In our curriculum, we explore how King Hezekiah prayed that God would heal his illness. Interestingly, God responded by using a medicinal agent, not an instant miracle healing (see 2 Kings 20:1-7).
Another example is when Paul encourages Timothy not only to rely on water, but to drink a little wine for a persistent stomach ailment (wine was medicinal). Interesting, Paul saw miraculous healings in his ministry, but for one of his closest friends, he encouraged “medicine” (1 Tim. 5:23).
NOTE: We have better medicinal agents today, and we do not encourage any form of alcohol for mental or emotional treatment/intervention.
(b) It’s Not Perfect, but Proven to Help: NOT perfect, but they have been extensively tested to provide helpful relief of difficult symptoms and help with calmer states (not a cure or quick-fix).
With better symptom relief, you can feel more stable and respond better to your professional therapy or coaching (including your spiritual faith). With better life outcomes, your doctor may reduce your meds or lower the dosage.
(c) Christian and Great Pros: You may find Christian doctors and psychiatrists who affirm your faith journey as part of the process.
*AND I also know a psychiatrist, who was not a Christian, but they cared just as much as the Good Samaritan story — and they were known as one of the best doctors in the city! God may and can guide you to their excellent care as well.
(d) Christian pastors/leaders are on meds: Many Christian leaders today have taken or regularly take psychiatric medications for their own mental health wellness and well-being. It’s part of why they are continuing, and even thriving in their ministry and personal lives.
Tip: Medications are not a one-size-fits-all pill to cure or fix your challenges. It’s normal to try various medications until you find one that works well (be patient and communicate with your doctor). Our workbooks have helpful insights and tools for this process.
Professional intervention is part of the faith journey, not excluding it — because God is a God in our weakness, not outside it.
Seeking medical and professional intervention requires just as much faith as any other area of life … because God is a God in our weakness … a power in our weakness … not far from you. He is there to see you through the process and journey (see 2 Cor. 12:9-10; John 17:26; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:6; Phil. 1:6).
Leave a comment below on what you think, and share this with others to help turn the tide of this mental health conversation from stigma to dignity.
Joe Padilla | Grace Alliance
*Note: At Grace Alliance, we are working with the opportunity to educate and equip the Church, not condemning or judging what they don't know. We find that church leaders are eager to learn, which reduces mental health stigma (changing the culture)! (6)
(1) Swinton, J. (2020). Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges (p. 67). Eerdmans.
(2) The 2024 NAMI Workplace Mental Health Poll
(3) New Data Shows Toxic Workplaces and Stigmas Linked to Surge in Employee Mental Health Issues (Business Solver, August 2024).
(4) Mckinsey & Company, National Survey Shows Mental Health Disconnect Between Employees and Employers (2021).
(5) Church and Mental Health Survey (Kintsugi Hope, 2022) and Premier Christianity (April, 2022).
(6) Anthony JS, Johnson A, Schafer J. African American clergy and depression: what they know; what they want to know. J Cult Divers. (2015) 22:118–26.
Taghva, A., Noorbala, A. A., Khademi, M., Shahriari, A., Esfahani, M. N., Asadi, A., Mohsenifar, J., Yousefifard, A., Abolhassani, M., Bolhari, J., Hajebi, A., & Rahnejat, A. M. (2022). Clergy's Viewpoint Change Toward Mental Health and Stigma on Mental Illness: A Short Course Training. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 864806.
