A body-only, mind-only or spirit-only approach to mental health treatment leads each to an essential failure to effectively promote healing.

In this episode, I discuss heritability studies, the limits of psychopharmacology, the insufficiency of purely cognitive approaches, and the unbiblical shame of over-spiritualization. I argue that we need to understand mental illness as a condition with multi-layered explanations requiring a multi-layered treatment for ourselves, our clients and those we love.

All of this is modeled in God’s response to Elijah’s suicidal episode in the wilderness: God gives rest and food, corrects his thinking and reveals the spiritual reality of his presence.

If you are facing a mental illness yourself, supporting a loved one or treating a client, this conceptual model offers a comprehensive approach to the person. A vision of wholeness rather than convenient reductionism.

Schizophrenia Heritability Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14662550/

Depression Medication Efficacy Study: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5548444_Kirsch_I_Deacon_BJ_Huedo-Medina_TB_Scoboria_A_Moore_TJ_Johnson_BT_Initial_severity_and_antidepressant_benefits_a_meta-analysis_of_data_submitted_to_the_Food_and_Drug_Administration_PLoS_Med_5_260-268

Depression Remission Study: https://www.thecarlatreport.com/articles/4733-stard-reanalysis-causes-new-debate-over-antidepressant-efficacy#:~:text=Study%20type%3A%20Reanalysis%20of%20an,(STAR*D)%20study

Chemical imbalance theory busted: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0

Antipsychotic Meds Shrinking Brain Study: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/antipsychotics-and-shrinking-brain

Efficacy of Antipsychotics: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41784458/#:~:text=SG%20LAI%20users%20showed%20reductions,015)%20days

Vocational outcomes of antipsychotic users: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/396179149_Protocol_for_-_Association_of_antipsychotic_medication_usage_and_employment_outcomes_in_patients_with_schizophrenia_spectrum_disorders_A_Danish_register-based_study

Vitamin D Deficiency Rates: https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.1008.1

Conversion disorder Case Study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9564367/

Misattribution of Arousal Study: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232519630_Passionate_love_and_the_misattribution_of_arousal

Theological Anthropology Applications for Sexual/Physical Abuse Victims and Solace Professional Counseling: https://www.solaceprofessionalcounseling.com/

Understanding Psychology from a Christian Perspective E-Course: https://www.udemy.com/course/psychology-and-christianity/?referralCode=19B7AF26377BF0C154AD

Music by Douglas Hageman https://doughageman.bandcamp.com/