What Partnership has Christ with the DSM-5?
According to a 2020 study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 21% of American adults suffer from a mental illness. Johns Hopkins says it’s 26%. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) says that in the US, 7 million people have a bipolar disorder, 21 million people have a major depressive episode each year, and 19.1 million people suffer from an anxiety disorder. As a result, NAMI records, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-24, which has increased by 35% since 1999.
Although many have, on the whole, become more educated, more technologically sophisticated, and our hospitals more medically advanced than ever before, according to these statistics, we are also more depressed, more anxious, and more attention deficit than ever before. In short, we are living under the sovereignty of psychology. Ours is a culture ruled by mental health diagnoses.
For those who desire to live by the Bible, the ubiquity of psychology presents a problem. When the answers to all of life’s struggles come in the form of a medical diagnosis, a psychoactive prescription, and a lifetime of secular therapy, then the Bible is inevitably irrelevant. You don’t need God, it seems, if you’ve got Freud.
That’s why, over the last half a century, both in and outside of the church, the Bible has been replaced by another bible: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The latest version, released earlier this year, is the DSM-5-TR.
Produced by the American Psychiatric Association, this thick tome is universally accepted by the American medical community – physicians, psychologists, and psychiatrists – as the authoritative standard for defining and diagnosing every mental disorder. The DSM-5-TR has increasingly found a home in the hands of Christians counseling other Christians. And inevitably, when the DSM goes up, the Bible goes down.
The Church must recognize that a worldview which sees medical disorders as the root cause of human ailments is hostile to Scripture. Modern secular psychology, as summarized in the DSM-5-TR, oozes with an evolutionary, materialistic, and humanistic worldview.
The Church must recognize that a worldview which sees medical disorders as the root cause of human ailments is hostile to Scripture. Modern secular psychology, as summarized in the DSM-5-TR, oozes with an evolutionary, materialistic, and humanistic worldview.
Psychoanalysis does not offer another, compatible, auxiliary resource for Christians to face life’s challenges; rather, it assumes an anti-Christian stance with solutions that contradict the Bible. Therefore, Christians must decide between one and the other. Is the Bible sufficient “that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:17
), or do we need the world’s vain wisdom poured out through the pages of the DSM-5-TR? The Church must stand on the sufficiency of the Bible, and therefore reject any partnership with psychology and its bible.
To make the case, consider three reasons why the Bible is incompatible with the DSM-5-TR:
The DSM-5-TR assumes an unbiblical worldview.
The irony of modern secular psychology is that the word “psychology” literally means “the study of the soul,” but psychology today rejects the existence of the soul at all. This rejection of a biblical anthropology (body and soul) began over a century ago.
Later psychologists and psychoanalytical researchers, influenced by Pinel, Freud, and Darwin, would likewise assert a materialistic, humanistic worldview, denying the existence of any immaterial component in man, any higher power interacting with man, and any ability of man to operate free from his genetic makeup and received environment. The DSM-5-TR follows suit, allowing for no explanation of human behavior outside of physical or material causes.
Modern secular psychology, then, is atheistic, materialistic, and deterministic. It rejects the God of the Bible and the Bible’s explanation of man. To modern secular psychology, the Bible is utterly irrelevant. That’s why biblical counselor David Powlison said, “Secular disciplines have made a systematic commitment to being wrong.”
), or do we need the world’s vain wisdom poured out through the pages of the DSM-5-TR? The Church must stand on the sufficiency of the Bible, and therefore reject any partnership with psychology and its bible.To make the case, consider three reasons why the Bible is incompatible with the DSM-5-TR:
The DSM-5-TR assumes an unbiblical worldview.
The irony of modern secular psychology is that the word “psychology” literally means “the study of the soul,” but psychology today rejects the existence of the soul at all. This rejection of a biblical anthropology (body and soul) began over a century ago.
- Philippe Pinel, a 19th-century French physician often referred to as the “Father of Psychiatry,” believed that internal, human issues could be entirely explained by physiology and environment without any reference to a human soul.
- Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist, further developed Pinel’s ideas and created the discipline of psychoanalysis. According to Freud, religion is a “universal obsessional neurosis” and of no value in treating mental disorders.
Later psychologists and psychoanalytical researchers, influenced by Pinel, Freud, and Darwin, would likewise assert a materialistic, humanistic worldview, denying the existence of any immaterial component in man, any higher power interacting with man, and any ability of man to operate free from his genetic makeup and received environment. The DSM-5-TR follows suit, allowing for no explanation of human behavior outside of physical or material causes.
Modern secular psychology, then, is atheistic, materialistic, and deterministic. It rejects the God of the Bible and the Bible’s explanation of man. To modern secular psychology, the Bible is utterly irrelevant. That’s why biblical counselor David Powlison said, “Secular disciplines have made a systematic commitment to being wrong.”
If you don’t start with the God of the Bible and with a biblical anthropology, you can only be right accidentally, like a broken clock. Richard Gantz, a former psychoanalyst who writes about the bankruptcy of the psychological worldview, said,
“Clinical psychology comes to no consensus in its view of human beings – with one critical exception. It is unified in its belief that people are free from God.”
The updated sections of the DSM-V-TR only further distance psychology from a biblical worldview. New to the psychological bible this year is a section entitled “Impact of Racism and Discrimination on Psychiatric Diagnosis” that legitimizes concepts like systemic racism, microaggressions, and unconscious bias as tools for psychiatric diagnosis.
The updated sections of the DSM-V-TR only further distance psychology from a biblical worldview. New to the psychological bible this year is a section entitled “Impact of Racism and Discrimination on Psychiatric Diagnosis” that legitimizes concepts like systemic racism, microaggressions, and unconscious bias as tools for psychiatric diagnosis.
As you might expect, the DSM-5-TR also includes an updated diagnosis for “Gender Dysphoria” which asserts that adolescents with “a strong desire to be of the other gender” for six months should be clinically diagnosed as gender dysphoric and in need of “gender-affirming treatment.” It estimates that for those suffering from gender dysphoria the suicide rates range “from 30% to 80%”.
Christians cannot reconcile the unbiblical worldview of the DSM-5-TR with God’s explanation of mankind because the two irreconcilably conflict.
The DSM-5-TR makes unbiblical diagnoses
The DSM-5-TR reasons from wrong premises, but how does it use that worldview? How does psychological diagnosis work? The answer: It labels groups of experiences and presents that label as if it were an explanation.
In each section of the DSM-5-TR, under the headings of various disorders, the manual lists a bunch of behaviors and experiences, then says if you check off enough of those behaviors or experiences for long enough, then you should be diagnosed as possessing one of the 836 mental disorders or disordered conditions described in the book.
Christians cannot reconcile the unbiblical worldview of the DSM-5-TR with God’s explanation of mankind because the two irreconcilably conflict.
The DSM-5-TR makes unbiblical diagnoses
The DSM-5-TR reasons from wrong premises, but how does it use that worldview? How does psychological diagnosis work? The answer: It labels groups of experiences and presents that label as if it were an explanation.
In each section of the DSM-5-TR, under the headings of various disorders, the manual lists a bunch of behaviors and experiences, then says if you check off enough of those behaviors or experiences for long enough, then you should be diagnosed as possessing one of the 836 mental disorders or disordered conditions described in the book.
To give a couple of simplified examples: Do you squirm in your chair, like to talk, and seem to be always “on the go”? Then you’ve got Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
To illustrate this, test yourself against the following criteria. How many of these have you experienced over the last 6 months: Excessive Worry
If you were to tell your primary care physician or a therapist that you have had the first experience (worry) and three others, then you would be diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and you would likely be prescribed an SSRI medication like Zoloft.
The problem with this system of diagnosis, however, is that it parades itself as an explanation for the cause of our struggles when in fact it’s just a naming system for different kinds of struggles.
So, not only are psychiatric solutions factually baseless, but psychiatrists using those baseless arguments to experiment with people’s brain chemistry en masse. That kind of unethical, deceptive movement can have no partnership with Scripture.
In an article entitled What Is Biblical Counseling? Wayne Mack wrote, “Because the Bible asserts its own sufficiency for counselling-related issues, secular psychology has nothing to offer for understanding or providing solutions to the non-physical problems of people.” In contrast, hear what the Bible says about its own ability to offer solutions to life’s deepest spiritual pains:
“Yahweh’s law is perfect, reviving the soul; Yahweh’s testimony is sure, making wise the simple; Yahweh’s precepts are right, rejoicing the heart; Yahweh’s commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever; Yahweh’s rules are true, and righteous altogether.”Psalm 19:7-9
God’s Word is altogether sufficient to save and sanctify his people. Therefore, modern secular psychology has nothing to offer God’s people. Christians must choose between the DSM-5-TR and the eternal Word of God. We can only serve one master, and there can only be one Bible.
Given this massive worldview difference between the DSM and Scripture, how should you respond to a mental disorder diagnosis? See the following post for a biblical answer to psychological labels.
- Do you think you should be a girl when you’re a guy? You’ve got Gender Dysphoria.
- Do you get blackout drunk every weekend? You’ve got Alcohol Use Disorder.
- Do you eat too much and then feel bad about it? You’ve got Binge-Eating Disorder.
- Do you dislike authority? Oppositional Defiance Disorder.
- Do you get angry not always but sometimes? Intermittent Explosive Disorder.
- Do you like to burn stuff? Pyromania.
- Do you like to steal stuff? Kleptomania.
- Do you like yourself a lot? Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
To illustrate this, test yourself against the following criteria. How many of these have you experienced over the last 6 months: Excessive Worry
- Restlessness
- Being easily fatigued
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
- Muscle tension
- Sleep disturbance
If you were to tell your primary care physician or a therapist that you have had the first experience (worry) and three others, then you would be diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and you would likely be prescribed an SSRI medication like Zoloft.
The problem with this system of diagnosis, however, is that it parades itself as an explanation for the cause of our struggles when in fact it’s just a naming system for different kinds of struggles.
And the DSM-5-TR itself admits that it can’t actually solve any of these alleged disorders, it can only categorize them. “A diagnosis does not carry any necessary implications regarding the etiology or causes of the individual’s mental disorder or the individual’s degree of control over behaviors that may be associated with the disorder” (p. 29).
Allen Frances, the Chair of the DSM-IV Task Force, writes in his book Saving Normal, “All of our diagnoses are now based on subjective judgments that are inherently fallible and prey to capricious change. Billions of research dollars have failed to produce convincing evidence that any mental disorder is a discreet disease entity with a unitary cause. Our classification of mental disorders is no more than a collection of fallible and limited constructs that seeks but never finds the truth.”
Now, there are some obvious problems with an overblown, subjective, capricious categorization system for human experiences. One issue is that it teaches people to think incorrectly about their lives, that their feelings and behaviors are only the product of physical maladies classified by secular experts.
Allen Frances, the Chair of the DSM-IV Task Force, writes in his book Saving Normal, “All of our diagnoses are now based on subjective judgments that are inherently fallible and prey to capricious change. Billions of research dollars have failed to produce convincing evidence that any mental disorder is a discreet disease entity with a unitary cause. Our classification of mental disorders is no more than a collection of fallible and limited constructs that seeks but never finds the truth.”
Now, there are some obvious problems with an overblown, subjective, capricious categorization system for human experiences. One issue is that it teaches people to think incorrectly about their lives, that their feelings and behaviors are only the product of physical maladies classified by secular experts.
But in many of the cases, the problem is that the DSM-5-TR redefines sin (like drunkenness, lying, and sinful anger) as an illness. It turns guilty sinners into innocent victims.
Redefining sin as illness moves the solution for spiritual problems from the Bible to the field of medicine, and medicine cannot change the heart. It removes the call to repentance, the comfort of the gospel, and the goal of living for God’s glory altogether. It replaces these with more pills, more therapy sessions, more techniques, and no real heart change.
In summary, psychology can’t tell you why this is happening or if you can do anything about it, but they can slap a label on you and call you sick.
In summary, psychology can’t tell you why this is happening or if you can do anything about it, but they can slap a label on you and call you sick.
Richard Topping writes, “Remember, we live in a time when six of the seven deadly sins are medical conditions, and pride is a virtue.”
The DSM-5-TR promotes unbiblical solutions
Because the DSM-5-TR’s psychological diagnoses are considered gospel truth today, they are used as the justification for the multi-billion-dollar psycho-active pharmaceutical industry, pumping pills into people based on brief conversations without even knowing what those medications do. Unfortunately, that’s not hyperbole.
Psychology Today recently published an article saying that while “85-90% of the public believes low serotonin levels or a chemical imbalance causes depression,” there is “no support for the hypothesis that depression is caused by lowered serotonin activity or concentrations.”
The DSM-5-TR promotes unbiblical solutions
Because the DSM-5-TR’s psychological diagnoses are considered gospel truth today, they are used as the justification for the multi-billion-dollar psycho-active pharmaceutical industry, pumping pills into people based on brief conversations without even knowing what those medications do. Unfortunately, that’s not hyperbole.
Psychology Today recently published an article saying that while “85-90% of the public believes low serotonin levels or a chemical imbalance causes depression,” there is “no support for the hypothesis that depression is caused by lowered serotonin activity or concentrations.”
The serotonin narrative is completely false. And the psychological community has known this for years, even while continuing to diagnose SSRI medications as if they work.
Daniel Carlat, the editor of The Carlat Psychiatry Report, said in an interview with NPR,
Daniel Carlat, the editor of The Carlat Psychiatry Report, said in an interview with NPR,
“We don’t know how the medications actually work in the brain…. I’ll often say something like the way Zoloft works is, it increases the level of serotonin in your brain (or synapses, neurons) and, presumably, the reason you’re depressed or anxious is that you have some sort of a deficiency. And I say that [chuckles] not because I really believe it, because I know the evidence isn’t there for us to understand the mechanism—I think I say that because patients want to know something. And they want to know that we, as physicians have some basic understanding of what we’re doing when we’re prescribing medications. They certainly don’t want to know that a psychiatrist has no idea how these medications work.”
So, not only are psychiatric solutions factually baseless, but psychiatrists using those baseless arguments to experiment with people’s brain chemistry en masse. That kind of unethical, deceptive movement can have no partnership with Scripture.
In an article entitled What Is Biblical Counseling? Wayne Mack wrote, “Because the Bible asserts its own sufficiency for counselling-related issues, secular psychology has nothing to offer for understanding or providing solutions to the non-physical problems of people.” In contrast, hear what the Bible says about its own ability to offer solutions to life’s deepest spiritual pains:
“Yahweh’s law is perfect, reviving the soul; Yahweh’s testimony is sure, making wise the simple; Yahweh’s precepts are right, rejoicing the heart; Yahweh’s commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever; Yahweh’s rules are true, and righteous altogether.”Psalm 19:7-9
God’s Word is altogether sufficient to save and sanctify his people. Therefore, modern secular psychology has nothing to offer God’s people. Christians must choose between the DSM-5-TR and the eternal Word of God. We can only serve one master, and there can only be one Bible.
Given this massive worldview difference between the DSM and Scripture, how should you respond to a mental disorder diagnosis? See the following post for a biblical answer to psychological labels.
