Dear Friend, Welcome to the August 2007 issue of the Psychology Debunked newsletter! Faith in God through Christ is central to the Christian life. Without it, we naturally look to the horizontal rather than the vertical, trusting more in man's devices that in God's abilities. But God responds to faith, not unbelief: Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great [is] thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. --Mat 15:28 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. --Mat 13:58 Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Vice versa, it pleases God when we put our complete trust in Him, and He rewards us for it: But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. --Hbr 11:6 In this back-to-school issue, we hear from a reader who, through fasting and prayer, put her faith completely in the Lord's ability to bring back her prodigal, depressed daughter. Instead of caving into man's methods of soul treatment, this mother diligently sought God in faith, and God rewarded her, as He promised in His Word. With the school year upon us, it's again time to sound the warnings about Big Pharma strategies to drug our children, the prescription drug epidemic among teenagers, and psych drug side affects. We'll take a look at each of these topics. Finally, don't miss this month's Q&A from a psych major seeking wisdom on what to do with a field that contradicts her Christian faith. Trusting God with you, Lisa and Ryan Bazler
Prescription drugs: the cocaine and speed for today's teens What started as Ritalin prescriptions at 5 years old ended in multiple drug addictions and death for this Allen, TX 20-year-old man. This article describes the explosive rise in prescription drug abuse among kids: "Teenagers now abuse prescription medications more than any other drug except marijuana, according to recent research. Overall drug use is down nationwide, but prescription drug abuse is booming." more » Pencils, pens, meds "As kids head to class, pharmaceutical companies ramp up their drug marketing -- and it works," says this LA Times OpEd, citing the U.S. as the biggest consumer of ADHD drugs in the world--85% of the world's supply--and noting a 64% increase in Rx's since drug companies began advertising direct to consumers. more » Children as young as 3 taking toxic antipsychotic drugs St. Petersburg Times: "Skyrocketing numbers of kids are prescribed powerful antipsychotic drugs. Is it safe? Nobody knows." "Last year, more than 18,000 state kids on Medicaid were given prescriptions for antipsychotic drugs. Even children as young as 3 years old. Last year, 1,100 Medicaid children under 6 were prescribed antipsychotics, a practice so risky that state regulators say it should be used only in extreme cases." "There is almost no research on the long-term effects of such powerful medications on the developing brains of children." "The bottom line is that the use of psychiatric medications far exceeds the evidence of safety and effectiveness... What people need to do is what's in the best interest of children instead of what's in the best interest of people's pocketbooks." more » Rise in prescription drug use in adolescent girls for diabetes, sleep & psych disorders MEDCO Health Solutions, the nation's leading
pharmacy benefit manager, reports: "Research shows an unparalleled rise in adolescent girls using prescription drugs to treat diabetes, sleep problems and psychological disorders -- Increases in medication use among 10 to 19 year-old girls for several chronic and behavioral conditions far outpaces boys of the same age." Antidepressants cause bipolar symptoms, which drive antipsychotic prescriptions, which cause diabetes, which drive diabetes drug use. Start with one drug and you're on a very slippery downhill slope! more » Stimulants + strenuous exercise = death We hear more and more about healthy teenage and adult athletes dropping dead on the field for no apparent reason. A possible explanation: stimulants + strenuous exercise = a recipe for disaster. The FDA has already warned the public of the risk of stimulants--ADHD drugs included--causing cardiac arrest, stroke and sudden death. The Univ. of OK Sooners team physician agrees. more » Does your child have youthful tendency disorder? You may not have heard of youthful tendency disorder, but this spoof could become reality in future versions of the DSM. Parents of playful, creative children beware! more » School, 1957 vs. 2007 Political correctness, love waxing cold, loss of freedoms--this comparison shows how much we've changed for the worse in 50 years. more » IABC and ABC: Holding to the Word, Rejecting Psychology and Psychiatry
We have been members of the International Association of Biblical Counseling (IABC, Ed Bulkley, President) for a few years now, and Ryan recently attended and presented at their annual conference. What a mountaintop spiritual experience! Themed "The Church and The Trojan Horse," the conference was packed full of good speaking on the influences of psychology, evolution, and sexual immorality on the world and the church, as well as many other topics. You can get CDs of the sessions and the workshops here. IABC provides biblical counseling training/certification and has an extensive network of certified biblical counselors around the world to refer or to see. Learn more about IABC here. While at the conference, Ryan had the opportunity to meet Jeremy Lelek, President of Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC). ABC also has a network of biblical counselors and will soon launch a training/certification program. Their website is packed full of useful counseling links, resources, continuing education courses, and audio trainings. We also highly recommend their free weekly "counseling tips" emails, which are full of Scripture and wisdom and have really ministered to us. Learn more about ABC here. Q&A This reader asks, "I'm almost done with my psychology degree but I'm doubting its teachings because it seems to contradict my faith as a Christian. The more I learn, the more I feel psychology is deceiving. What should I do?" See our answer. Letters This reader's prodigal daughter came home. She chose to pray and fast for her daughter over pushing labels and drugs, and God responded! more » | | Write Us | | FREE BIBLICAL COUNSELING - Do you get charged for a church service, or a prayer request? Of course not! Then why should you have to pay for help that Jesus said should be free (Matthew 10:8)? If you need biblical advice, let us know your situation and we will respond for free.
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