Hi Steve -
I caught the last part of today's show on am 630, Seattle. Always enjoy listening to you when I can! I am very concerned though, about the message I heard on the show today concerning suicide. Depression leading to suicide is very often - if not usually, a medical problem. Like the bi-polar condition that my dad suffered with; it is caused, we came to find out, by chemical imbalances in the brain and not because of a spiritual problem of some sort. To tell people with a chemical/physical medical problem that they are suffering because they are not right spiritually makes as much sense as telling someone with leukemia or deafness that they'll be fine if they just get right with the Lord. Are you acquainted with a psychiatrist who's 'brain you could pick' about the subject? I heard you say that 'maybe in a few cases the person actually thinks they are doing other people a favor by ending their life...' from what I've been hearing, this is the case with MOST people who contemplate suicide. I'm sure there is demonic deception going on in many cases too, or some other spiritual issue as well. But frankly, I think if I were contemplating suicide and listened to your show today, it would have just added to the weight and darkness I was feeling. It's not a spiritual 'cop-out' to seek medical/professional help!!
Blessings --
Kathee
Hi Kathee,
Thanks for writing. I suppose we will have to agree to disagree. The several psychiatrists that I have read on this matter have admitted that there is no provable medical condition called "clinical depression." There are often physical reasons why people feel depressed, of course, whether it be thyroid problems, sleep deprivation, hypoglycemia, or other medical (not psychiatric) issues. Where there are actual medical conditions, I recommend the services of a physician who can properly address them.
There are also a host of non-medical (spiritual) reasons why people become suicidal—including loneliness, hopelessness, unresolved guilt, anger, etc. We all know that psychiatrists do usually claim that there is a chemical basis for clinical depression, but few people know that the proof for this is lacking.
Diabetes and thyroid disorders are examples of genuine chemical imbalance problems, so they are treated by the supplying of substances normally produced in the healthy body, like insulin or thyroid, to counter the imbalance. Common sense would tell us that, if depression were a "chemical imbalance" problem, it would be treated by the supplementation of the "missing" chemicals. Yet, no scientist would argue that a depressed person's brain is producing too little "natural" Zoloft or Prozak. Similarly, contrary to the impression falsely given by psychiatrists (who really know better), a person suffering from bipolar affective disorder (manic depressive) does not have a "lithium deficiency" in their blood. There is no such thing as a lithium deficiency, because lithium is not a substance naturally produced in or utilized by the body. All of these "meds" are consciousness-altering drugs, not natural organic supplements. They are not curative medications, since they cure nothing. They are merely management tools.
Psychiatrists have a dual incentive to promote the misconception that depression is a medical condition: 1) as scientists, they do not like to allow that there are human problems outside their domain (i.e., spiritual problems), and 2) as MDs, psychiatrists are the only mental health professionals who can prescribe medications. If a patient can be convinced that he/she has a "chemical imbalance" problem, then it is possible to sell him/her the services of a physician and of a pharmacist. It probably does not enhance the objectivity of their judgment to have the American Psychiatric Association receiving 20% of its funds from the pharmaceutical companies. Many good psychiatrists have come out and admitted this scam (Peter Breggin immediately comes to mind).
Since people had to deal with depression and suicidal thoughts for thousands of years before the development of "antidepressants," it is clear that the church had to deal with these matters as spiritual problems. In my limited experience, I do not believe that the psychiatrists have a better track record with such patients than do spiritual counselors. What you are suggesting is that it is wrong to address the real spiritual issues in the life of a suicidal individual, lest the sense of responsibility be too great a weight for him/her to bear. What then is to be done for the many suicidal and depressed people whose problems are non-medical, if Christians are afraid to address the real spiritual issues at the core of their so-called "illness"? I have two friends who were deeply suicidal, and who both were "cured" by finding a relationship with God (one of them through reading a tract I wrote, and the other through a radio broadcast of Chuck Swindoll). Actually, their numbers can be multiplied, as I think back on the cases I have known and dealt with in 45 years of ministry.
One year, in my Bible school, there were four students who were using prescribed psychotropic medications. Without my knowledge, in the course of the school year, all four stopped using their meds. Three of them never used them again, and have lived well-adjusted Christian lives. The other individual did fine without meds for six months, but quit the school and later committed himself to a mental hospital. The other three were "cured" by simply applying themselves to the disciplines of Christian discipleship. I am convinced that the success rate would have been four out of four if the one individual had not decided to give up on his spiritual pursuits.
The truth is, suicide is a sinful decision. Like all sinful decisions, the temptations associated with it may be very strong. The only real power that will ultimately triumph against overwhelming temptations is the power of God in a proper relationship with Christ. No matter what a person's brain chemistry, one is still capable and responsible for making correct moral decisions. Those who feel overwhelmed can do the same thing that godly people did for centuries before our therapeutic age—run to God (Psalm 43:5; 61:2; 2 Cor.1:8-9). I realize, as you said, that many people are deeply deceived—and probably oppressed by the devil—but then, that is a spiritual problem, not a medical one.
I have read enough from the psychiatric professionals, and had enough counseling experience, to know that people who are suicidal need a vital connection with God, rather than pills, to get back into normative living. Pills may manage the problem (if management is all one is seeking), but only a genuine relationship with God is a complete cure. I know also (from experience) that people whose family members have been managed mood problems with medications often thank God for those medications and have negative reactions to those who intelligently question them. I have encountered this phenomenon many times, but I need to follow the path that I believe scripture teaches (and which actually helps people) and allow others to reach their own conclusions.
As I said above, I am not suggesting that people with medical conditions should not see doctors. A person with chronic mood-management problems should have tests done by a (non-psychiatric) medical doctor, to discover whether there are any glandular or brain chemistry issues. Where none are found, a psychiatrist can't do much more. Many psychiatrists don't even do chemical tests as the basis of their "diagnoses." As one practicing psychiatrist quipped, "While medicine measures the body and therefore can collect scientific data, psychiatry’s data collection inevitably relies on one person’s opinion about another person’s behavior” (Dr. Lee Coleman, The Reign of Error: Psychiatry, Authority, and Law [Beacon Press, Boston, 1984] p. 19)
Disclaimer: It may also be necessary, in cases where the "patient" is out of control, to temporarily use some medications to prevent him/her from self-destructive behaviors, until the real issues can be addressed.
Thank you again for your concern and for sharing your thoughts with me.
Blessings!
Steve
). But I think "propensity toward a particular act" is. Why are some people hooked on cigarettes, alcohol, etc. from the get-go, and others are repulsed?
