Some Christians suffer from extreme mood swings, and have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a result.

Bipolar disorder is not an illness--it is nothing but a collection of symptoms that an elite group of psychiatrists decided to categorize into the name "bipolar" and vote into existence as a medical disorder. The truth is, there is nothing medical about this disorder that has been proven. Bipolar is an invention to grow the psychology industry.

We realize the behaviors of someone diagnosed bipolar are very real, but bipolar has not been proven to be a medical disease caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. So brain medication is unnecessary and even harmful, since brain medication actually causes an imbalance in the brain that is unnatural, creating side effects and withdrawal symptoms.

If there is a true medical basis behind the behaviors (e.g. chemical inhalation, thyroid malfunction, vitamin/mineral deficiencies, etc.), then of course these things should be treated medically by a medical doctor. But if no objective medical evidence can be found, then bipolar behavior becomes a mental and spiritual issue that God can address as the Counselor of our souls.

Bipolar behavior is many times just fleshly behavior: if you are manic, you are letting your flesh control you and are not submitting, yielding, surrendering to the control of the Holy Spirit. Once you submit to the Lord (deny/crucify yourself and look to Him), the fruit of the Spirit - including peace, gentleness and self-control - will take over and the manic behavior will lessen. The key verse here is Gal. 5:16: "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." This is easier said than done, as it can take a lifetime for God to complete the work he has started in us. But as we walk in a humble, dependent relationship with Christ, day by day, we will find our moods stabilizing more and more, as His Spirit stabilizes ours.

On the depression side, we believe that much of depression is just overly self-focused behavior (self-focused behavior can also include legalism, where we are focusing on our righteousness over Christ's). Redirecting our attention to the Lord, and spending time with Him in prayer, praise and thanksgiving (1 Thess. 5:16-18), will take away the depression and restore our strength, joy and will to live. Again, it takes time for the Lord to mold us into who He wants us to be. Sanctification is a lifetime process.

We have covered in detail some of the causes and cures of depression in a prior newsletter. See http://www.psychologydebunked.com/email0506_Q&A.htm.

The second half of our book gives biblical advice on how to overcome the behaviors psychology calls disorders. As Christians, we have the power to overcome bipolar behaviors, by submitting and surrendering ourselves to Christ moment by moment, living in a trusting, humbly dependent relationship with him.

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