God gives wisdom and knowledge, allowing discoveries that promote physical and mental health, including medication. Mental health struggles can have psychological or biological causes, and medication can be part of the responsible stewardship of our bodies. The Bible highlights God’s ability to heal supernaturally or through practical means. While medication can help, it should not be used to avoid addressing spiritual or emotional issues. True healing ultimately comes from God, who cares deeply for us and provides peace and restoration.
Many mental health disorders generate in the psyche. For example, we may feel depressed because of wrong thinking or unresolved emotions. Feelings of anxiety may result from an unwillingness to trust God. However, many mental health disorders are biologically based, meaning the feelings of anxiety or depression are not coming from a particular situation or lack of processing on our part, but rather from a malfunction in our physical body. There are various neurochemicals in the brain that are believed to be implicated in disorders, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other similar disorders. The medications designed to treat these disorders are made to target the brain’s chemicals and help restore them to their proper balance.
In the sense that psychological medications can promote our health, they are like medicines that treat physical ailments. However, there are considerations to make when contemplating beginning mental health medication. Because many mental health disorders begin in the psyche, other forms of therapy are often a good addition to medication, as well as discovering if there is a spiritual component to what is going on. Medication should not be taken in an effort to avoid dealing with any psychological roots of a disturbance or to avoid dealing with spiritual issues. Our true freedom is found in Christ. God is the true Healer, whether it be through medications or not, and that is something we need to remember when dealing with mental health challenges.