What Should You Do With Your Diagnosis? Responding Biblically to Mental Disorder Labels
Maybe you’ve received a psychiatric or psychological diagnosis from a doctor or a therapist. Maybe you’ve been told that you have General Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Bipolar Disorder, Conduct Disorder, or some form of Substance Abuse Disorder. Or maybe you’ve diagnosed yourself by looking up information on these disorders online. However, you got it; now you’ve got a mental disorder diagnosis. You want to understand yourself rightly and honour the Lord with how you respond. What do you do? Before even dealing with a particular diagnosis, the worldview behind the diagnosis must be understood. In a previous article, we explored the assumptions behind the psychological bible’s classification of mental disorders. In short, the DSM-5-TR can’t explain our spiritual problems sufficiently because it assumes a non-spiritual, unbiblical worldview. God’s Word, in contrast, is sufficient for “all of life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3) and to ...