The choice to use medication to treat mental illness is one that is not taken lightly. It can be a scary decision to make. You may have questions like:
Will I still feel like myself?
Will the meds even work?
How long will it take to find the right one?
While these are all hard questions to answer, the most intimidating one for many Christians is: Is it OK for Christians to take meds for mental health? Many people worry that taking these meds shows distrust in God's healing power and feel shame for using them. To answer this we need to address 3 questions:
1. What is shame? Dictionary.com defines shame as "the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, ridiculous, etc., done by oneself or another". Essentially, shame is the uncomfortable feeling you get when you do something wrong. The feeling that's evoked when you make a conscious bad decision.
2. Is mental illness shameful? As you can see from our definition above, shame involves a conscious decision. No one decides to have a mental illness. This is a belief that is held by some people today. This thought is popularized by media like "10 Reasons Why", Tumblr, and TikTok which romanticizes depression and other mental health challenges. The "celebration" of the drama of a tortured soul influences people into thinking that mental illness is just a trend. They wrongfully think that a person can decide to stop being depressed or anxious or bipolar because they chose those things. So, they should be able to choose to stop, right? That's like telling a cancer patient that they can cure their cancer just by believing they don't have it anymore. That would be ridiculous.
While there are ways to change your thought processes, you can't just "get over" a mental illness by deciding not to be mentally ill anymore. People don't just "make up" these struggles for attention. It's a lot more physical than people realize. Take a look at these brain scans from the Mayo Clinic.
As you can see, the brain activity is vastly different between the person who is experiencing depression and the one who is not. This activity cannot be changed in an instant from simply "being more positive". So, if mental illness is not a choice, then it's not shameful. Shame involves choosing to do something bad. If you didn't choose it, then it's not your fault. It happens to them, it is not a moral failing.
3. Is it wrong to treat mental illness? Based on the information above, we can see that mental illness is not shameful, is not a choice, and also impacts a person physically. All of those reasons place mental illness in the same realm as any other illness. Is it wrong to treat measles? Is it wrong to treat diabetes? No. So why should mental illness be any different?
The Christian church and the world at large often talk about mental illness from a philosophical or theological approach, not a scientific one. The general feeling that having a mental illness is a spiritual failing is widespread. This disconnect from science makes the decision to treat mental health more complicated than it needs to be. Treating diabetes does not show that you lack faith in God. If diabetes and bipolar disorder are both illnesses, then they should be recognized as such and treated without a theological discussion if it's right to do so. Both can be fatal, thus, it is imperative that they be treated.
Now to answer the ultimate question:
Is it Ok for Christians to use medication to treat mental illness?
Mental illness is not a moral or spiritual failing. It is not a choice. It impacts a person physically as other illnesses do. All of these reasons indicate that there is no moral reason to not take medication. I want to be clear: I am not saying that every mental illness should be treated with medication. That decision is entirely up to the individual and their situation. What I am wanting to do is erase the shame surrounding the choice to use medication. If your doctors, therapists, psychiatrist, loved ones, or yourself feel that medication could help you function, then I don't want shame to keep you from benefiting from them.
How can the Church help?
Every Christian is The Body of Christ and has a tremendous influence on other Christians. My biggest concern in the medication debate is that we will shame people so much that they don't get the help they need. This can have devastating consequences. So how can we help?
Offer to drive them to appointments. Offering to drive someone to their appointment can help dispel the shame surrounding their treatment and can be a welcome break for them. Doctor and therapy appointments are often draining and having someone help you get to and from them is a blessing.
Hold space for them. Giving people the opportunity to talk about their challenges can bring so much comfort to a person. Just letting them know that you are there and actively listen to them helps people feel less alone in their struggles. Even if it's uncomfortable or you don't understand what they are experiencing, listening helps people feel a bit more supported.
Avoid offering advice. I say this because I frequently see people talk about medication using "here-say" information. For example, if your best friend's cousin took antidepressants and had a bad experience you probably shouldn't share that with someone considering medication. Every person's body and circumstances are different and you may not have enough information on the situation to offer stories or advice that would benefit someone. Let healthcare professionals and people in the same situation offer insight. However, you can offer a listening ear and support.
Thank you for taking the time to thoughtfully read this post. I hope it helps de-bunk some myths and helps you know how to support people through their struggles. Please comment with your thoughts and suggestions below!
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