Product Description:

Publisher's Description

OCD,  ADHD, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder . . . these are no longer just technical  terms and medical diagnoses, they are part of our common vocabulary and  culture. As Christians, we shouldn’t isolate ourselves from this  discussion or dismiss these important issues. But we also should be  careful not to accept the entire secular psychiatric diagnostic and  treatment enterprise without question. What we need is a balanced,  biblically (and scientifically) informed approach that neither blindly  accepts nor harshly dismisses psychiatric labels, diagnoses, and  medicines that are prescribed to help those who are suffering.

As  both a Biblical counselor and medical doctor, Michael R. Emlet, MD,  gives readers a Christ-centered approach to psychiatry and guides both  lay and professional helpers through the thicket of mental health labels  and treatments with a biblical lens. In a clear and thoughtful way that  puts the person experiencing mental health issues at the forefront,  Emlet uses Scripture to show how the Bible engages in the discussion of  psychiatric labels and the medications that are often recommended based  on those labels. The first book in the “Helping the Helper” series,  Descriptions and Prescriptions will give readers a biblical,  gospel-formed perspective to help them understand and minister to those  struggling with mental health issues.

• Written by Michael R.  Emlet, MD, who worked for twelve years as a family physician before  becoming a counselor and faculty member at the Christian Counseling  & Educational Foundation (CCEF)
• Provides a biblical but  balanced approach to psychiatric diagnoses and treatment that neither  dismisses labels and treatments nor blindly accepts them
• Uses  both scripture and current medical literature to discuss both the  limitations and benefits of diagnostic terminology and psychoactive  medications in the care of those with mental suffering
• Keeps a  pastoral perspective that puts the person struggling with mental health  at the front and center of all discussions about diagnosis and treatment
• Short,  focused chapters that will benefit both lay and professional helpers  ministering to those struggling with mental health issues.

What Is the Product for? It  can be easy for Christians to find themselves at one extreme or the  other when it comes to issues of psychiatric diagnoses and medications.  That is, we either grant too much authority to psychiatric  classifications and solutions while disregarding Scripture, or dismiss  medical science altogether, as though it is irrelevant for issues of  mental suffering. Descriptions and Prescriptions presents a nuanced and  balanced approach between these two extremes that is grounded in  Scripture, while respecting the role of medicine and science,and  suggests compassionate and wise ways to minister to those who are  struggling with mental illness.

Who Is the Product for?  The first book in the “Helping the Helper” series, Descriptions and  Prescriptions uses short, focused chapters to benefit both lay and  professional helpers ministering to those struggling with mental health  issues. Written for readers with both strong or nuanced opinions on  psychiatric classifications and psychoactive medications, Descriptions  and Prescriptions shows those with extreme feelings a more balanced  approach and leaves those with an already balanced approach more  informed and equipped with both biblical and scientific perspectives to  strengthen their ministry. Using both Scripture and current medical  literature to discuss the limitations and benefits of diagnostic  terminology and psychoactive medications, this book provides a biblical  lens for psychiatric diagnoses and treatment that neither dismisses  labels and treatments nor blindly accepts them.