2. Truth in Love Podcast Episodes 311-12: Misrepresentations of Biological Psychiatry (parts 1 & 2)
3. Truth in Love Podcast Episode 259: The Problem with the Mental Illness Narrative
4. Book Recommendation: Rethinking Depression, Not a Sickness, Not a Sin by Daniel Berger. There clearly exists an urgent need to rethink the widespread human struggle known today as depression. In this book, Daniel Berger proposes from both Scripture and scientific evidence that the root of our mental struggles lies in our metaphysical souls rather than in our physical bodies. As the reader will discover, the solution is not to endlessly invent new theories and alleged physical remedies that inevitably fail, but to return to understanding humanity’s true nature as God declares it to be from the beginning of time. This is not a book that suggests that those who struggle should simply pray and read their Bible more and that all of their problems will vanish. Rather, this book offers proven and practical answers addressing our mental suffering, sorrow, and hopelessness—no matter how severe, showing that we are not abnormal or different from one another at our core. In truth, what we all desperately need is sure hope and genuine healing for our souls that is only found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. 256 pages.
5. Book Recommendation: Blame it on the Brain?: Distinguishing Chemical Imbalances, Brain Disorders, and Disobedience By Ed Welch. As human problems seem to get both deeper and more widespread, people are desperate for solutions—and the quicker the better! How wonderful it would be, many think, if the right pill or genetic alteration could solve our problems! The purpose of this book is twofold: to introduce areas where the brain has received too little credit and to highlight where the brain has received too much credit (or blame). Part One of this book supplies the theological resources necessary for dialogue with the brain sciences. Part Two explores some modern diagnoses and experiences, all attributed to the brain, and considers them from a biblical perspective. 206 pages.
6. Book Recommendation: The Christian Counselor’s Medical Desk Reference, 2nd Edition by Charles Hodges. Biblical counselors and pastors often have questions when a counselee is struggling with a mixture of physical, emotional, and spiritual difficulties. The Christian Counselor’s Medical Desk Reference 2nd Edition helps counselors understand how some medical conditions impact counseling needs. The first section offers guidance for the extra challenges inherent with certain medical diagnoses. The second section examines the challenges associated with a variety of physical and mental conditions such as autoimmune disorders, PTSD, Alzheimer’s, bipolar disorder, clinical depression, and more, helping counselors better understand the specific counseling needs that often accompany each condition. 384 pages.
7. Book Recommendation: Biblical Counseling and Mental Disorder Diagnosis by Jenn Chen. Dr. Jenn Chen, a veteran psychologist turned biblical counselor, addresses the very relevant topic of mental disorder diagnosis and how to think about it biblically. She will help you to understand the DSM (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), what some have incorrectly labeled “the bible” of mental health. Jenn demonstrates how the DSM is not as scientific as it is purported to be, nor is the process of diagnosing. While some in the biblical counseling world are seemingly moving toward the DSM, Jenn has removed herself from it and has accepted the Bible as her standard. 120 pages.
8. Book Recommendation: Saving Abnormal: The Disorder of Psychiatric Genetics by Dr Daniel R. Berger II. Daniel Berger II presents an eye-opening account of both the historic origins and development of the current model of mental illness, as well as how and why creating and asserting concepts of abnormality/degeneracy upon society is vital to sustain psychiatry’s existence. The currently held construct of mental illness is simply not an approach to human nature and human phenomena that saves lives or rightly explains the human condition. Instead, it is a phenomenology that judges some people to be categorically “unhealthy”/abnormal, blames it on their biology, and leaves them at the mercy of mother nature’s selection. If you want to dig very deeply into this topic, Berger footnotes on almost every page extensively, mainly using secular and scientific sources to show from their own camp why what they put forward as scientific fact is anything but. This is a heavy read, with lots of pages, but Saving Abnormal presents a wealth of evidence to consider and calls for a paradigm shift in the way the human soul/psyche is framed and approached. I (Norm) found it a long read, but a very profitable one. 660 pages.