In short, the simple answer is "yes," Christians should consider mental health medications and therapy if needed because it's not only scriptural, it's wise. But spiritual and social stigma make it a little more complex. Let’s explore why and a beautiful Scriptural perspective to overcome the stigma!

The brain is more than just a "chemical imbalance" needing medications; it's also a metabolic regulator - so what we eat matters (which gets into the gut-brain connection topic, too). The new exciting field of nutrition psychiatry.

Great sleep equals our ability to enjoy, find meaning, and be mentally sharp … and it’s part of our spiritual formation and life practice. It’s the extra rejuvenating strength for mental health challenges, distress, or complexity of life.

Social and spiritual stigma can often create a false sense of identity for those living with mental health difficulties and disorders … self-stigma. With the right tools we can create a better narrative about ourselves and how God truly sees us!

Mental health recovery is a whole-health growth process, a transformation in resilience for improving overall well-being (physical, mental, spiritual, and relational). This whole-health approach utilizes a two-fold system from what psychology calls “primary control” (environmental management) and “secondary control” (internal management). Over time, the person becomes more resilient with personal growth, improved well-being, and life satisfaction.

“This is gonna disqualify me.”

Have you ever had that thought? It’s what I pondered when I completed my training as a mental health therapist and was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Dysthymia (Persistent Depression). The latter meant that I had been suffering worse than I had realized (because the diagnosis requires two years of active symptoms). How could this be?