A counseling mentor once asked me to evaluate what he called The Modern Psychological Proverb, “Genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger,” by asking, “Where is the person?” We all know siblings who had the same parents (genetics), grew up in the same home and went to the same schools (environment), but turned out very differently because of their beliefs, values, and choices.
Some of us hear this example and jump on it to conclude, “See, mental illness is an overhyped myth!” Others immediately get defensive and question, “Are you saying that mental illness doesn’t exist, and people are only the product of their choices?” If we’re going to do something constructive with a subject as complex as mental illness, we must get out of this reactive binary.
5 characteristics of spiritual health
Let’s take a slower walk into the subject and start the discussion by defining characteristics of spiritual health. I’ll list five. I hope as you read them you realize that each quality also has a positive influence on our mental health, meaning that each is contributive to better mental health even when they are not curative by themselves:
1.Embracing the gospel
An individual recognizes their sinful condition and leans fully on the hope of Christ’s death and resurrection to provide freedom from guilt and a sober self-awareness that allows us to acknowledge our faults.
2. Spiritual disciplines
An individual engages with Bible study, prayer, and other disciplines to cultivate a robust relationship with God, not just knowledge about him.
3. Personal devotion
An individual realizes their day-to-day choices are opportunities to worship God and is thankful for the opportunity to display God’s worth in these choices.
4. Devout character
An individual grows in humility, love, gratitude, hope, generosity, self-control, and other Christ-like virtues.
5. Robust theological framework
An individual is able to understand and articulate a biblical worldview that undergirds the previous four marks of spiritual health.
Now, let’s reframe the question: can someone be a growing Christian, exemplify these characteristics, and still experience mental health challenges?
5 characteristics of mental health
It will help us to answer this question if we define mental health like we did spiritual health. I’ll offer five characteristics of mental health. These are not exhaustive, but they give a good representation of what is meant by mental health.
1. Emotional regulation
An individual responds to unpleasant circumstances in a proportional manner. Minor unpleasant events (e.g., being late) get a minor response. Major unpleasant events (e.g., death of a loved one) get a large response. Mentally healthy people are not immune to unpleasant emotions, but their responses are proportional to their circumstances.
2. Accurate sense of self
An individual self-assessment is neither grandiose nor dreadful. An individual can receive feedback on their performance without getting defensive or crumbling. As their abilities improve or decline, their self-assessment adjusts accordingly.
3. Relational intelligence
An individual picks up on basic social cues and strives to respond to others in mutually beneficial ways. An individual is able to express empathy and compassion toward the hardship of others and celebrate the successes of others.
4. Reality testing
An individual can identify intrusive or fanciful thoughts as being inaccurate. Thoughts of a loved one having a car accident on a stormy night or paranoia about being under FBI surveillance can be dismissed.
5. Impulse control
An individual can weigh the consequences of their choices and resist making self-destructive choices. An individual can direct their attention toward important tasks even when they would prefer to engage in more interesting, but counterproductive, activities.
When we call something mental illness, we are saying that an individual is physically predisposed or environmentally conditioned to struggle in one or more of these areas, and that the struggle is significantly (intensity) and persistently (duration) disrupting their life in a way that won’t subside with the mere passing of time.
You may notice that I am construing these five mental health qualities as aptitudes (e.g., like playing music, throwing a ball, drawing a picture, doing math, or learning a language). Aptitudes are qualities that vary from person to person. Strong aptitudes increase our quality of life. Weaker aptitudes often detract from our quality of life.
Mental health and spiritually healthy Christians
So, with these things in mind, let’s restate our question again: can a spiritually healthy Christian be predisposed to struggle in key areas of mental health to such a degree that it significantly impacts their quality of life? The answer is clearly yes. Read the New Testament. All of its authors wrote to a Christian audience and had to address these types of struggles. Throughout church history, many Christian leaders have struggled with mental health issues. Charles Spurgeon, for example, wrestled with depression throughout his life.1Justin Taylor, “Charles Spurgeon’s Battle with Depression,” The Gospel Coalition, May 19, 2022, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/evangelical-history/charles-spurgeons-battle-with-depression/
Human beings are embodied souls. The health of our bodies impacts our spiritual health.
That should not surprise us. Human beings are embodied souls. The health of our bodies impacts our spiritual health. Try being gracious and devout in your response to adverse circumstances when you got three hours of sleep the night before. Your soul may be willing, but your flesh is weak. The inverse is true; the health of our souls impacts the health of our bodies. Sinful choices ravage our physical health.
A good psychiatrist understands this. Consider this quote from Allen Frances, chair of the DSM-IV task force:
Prematurely resorting to medication short-circuits the traditional pathways of restorative healing—seeking support from family, friends, and the community; making needed life changes, off-loading excessive stress; pursuing hobbies and interests, exercise, rest, distraction, a change of pace. Overcoming problems on your own normalizes the situation, teaches new skills, and brings you closer to the people who were helpful. Taking a pill labels you as different and sick, even if you really aren’t. Medication is essential when needed to reestablish homeostasis for those who are suffering from real psychiatric disorder. Medication interferes with homeostasis for those who are suffering from the problems of everyday life.2Frances Allen, Saving Normal: An Insider’s Revolt against Out-of-Control Psychiatric Diagnosis, DSM-5, Big Pharma, and the Medicalization of Ordinary Life (Mariner Books, 2014), 32.
Dr. Frances is not dismissing the category of mental illness, but he is cautious about over-medicalizing common life struggles. He does value traditional remedies (i.e., talking to a friend, exercise, vacation) for restoring mental health, but he also recognizes that medication and therapy can play an important role.
Is every psychologist, psychiatrist, and counselor this balanced? No. But, to be fair, we must also ask: is every pastor and Christian influencer on social media this balanced? Also, no. We ask people who have bad experiences at other churches not to dismiss Christianity as a whole. We should express the same courtesy as we get to know mental health professionals in our community.
5 implications for our spiritual and mental health
Since this article seems to be built on lists of five, let me close by offering five implications from our discussion.
1. Lingering or unrelenting mental health concerns should not be a matter of shame or cause a Christian to doubt their salvation. Our bodies and minds, like the rest of creation, are yearning to be made whole (Rom. 8:22).
2. We should expect to find the same variance in mental health expressions amongst Christians that we find in physical health and aptitudes. We believe vibrant Christians can have physical maladies and learning challenges; why would we think mental health would be different?
3. We should strive to be excellent stewards of our mental health through every special revelation and common grace means that God has made available. This includes everything from getting adequate sleep to spiritual vitality to medical assistance. You can find a list of 50 good mental health habits at bradhambrick.com/50mhh.
4. We should strive to better differentiate which life struggles we can influence and how because we want to avoid the twin errors of: (a) being passive toward a weakness we could strengthen and (b) feeling shame for a weakness we cannot. Neither of these responses honors God.
5. We should strive to better understand how healthiness aids holiness and holiness aids healthiness. The influence between body and soul is bidirectional. Caring for both our body and soul is part of honoring God with how we steward this earthly life.
Caring for both our body and soul is part of honoring God with how we steward this earthly life.
If this article has sparked you to want to learn more on this subject, I would encourage you to read Descriptions and Prescriptions: A Biblical Perspective on Psychiatrist Diagnoses and Medications by Michael Emlet.
The title may sound daunting, but the content is winsome, approachable, and spiritually nourishing. Join me in praying that God would enable his people, you and I, in being discerning about how to steward our mental health as a way of striving to honor him in all things.
This article is from the Winter 2024 issue of Light magazine, Finding Rest in the Wilderness: Hope and Help for Mental Health Struggles.
