Welcome to the September 2008 issue of the Psychology Debunked newsletter.
When we struggle with mental, emotional and behavioral problems--and we all do--it's easy to forget where the battle really takes place. We think the struggle is with other people, or our circumstances, or our past, or our self-esteem, or our brain chemicals, when in reality the battle is in the mind
The Bible teaches that the world, the flesh and the devil assault the mind with things that are selfish, ungodly and harmful to our spiritual and mental health:
Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, afterthe rudiments of theworld, and not after Christ.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].
Fortunately, God gives us the counsel and ability to effectively defeat these three onslaughts of the mind:
Rom 12:2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of yourmind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Gal 5:16 [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
2Cr 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringingintocaptivityeverythought to the obedience of Christ;
Out of the heart and mind flow the issues of life (Prov. 4:23), so it’s no surprise that Psychiatrist E. Fuller Torrey noted that the majority of his patients did not have psychiatric disorders, but rather just needed counsel on how to live—counsel of the heart and mind. The mind is truly the battleground of life, as this month's Q&A and Letters illustrate.
Also this month: antipsychotics exposed, an inside look at the professional practice of legal drug dealing, shocking drugs ads from yesteryear, and Obama and McCain on mental health.
In Christ,
Lisa and Ryan Bazler
Antipsychotics Exposed as Money-Making Fraud
No less than 13 states have opened 22 multi-billion dollar lawsuits against antipsychotic drug manufacturers for off-label marketing of their drugs and for hiding life threatening side effects like diabetes. This class of "new atypical" drugs, which treats bipolar and schizophrenia, includes Zypexa, Risperdal, Seroquel, Abilify, Geodon and others, and are the drug companies' best sellers, with some grossing over onebillion in sales annually. Unbelievably, these drugs are not only dangerous, but useless and no better than placebo! Some articles of interest:
Ever wonder how drugs that perform no better than a dummy pill and are known to cause life-threatening side effects ever get approved to go to market? Ever wonder how drug companies can sell billions worth of these same drugs through the doctors that prescribe them? Real people in the industry explain the crazy machine we call Big Pharma--these are must-reads!
With all of the stock market turmoil these days, some are considering buying now and selling when the market improves. This article makes a strong case to avoid drug company stocks.more »
Psych Drugs Ads, Then and Now
This eye-opening compilation of actual drug company print advertisements from then and now makes us wonder, How can anyone take this industry seriously? more »
Obama vs. McCain on Mental Health
Everyone is affected in some way by the mental health industry. Here is a good resource to help you gauge the positions of Obama and McCain on government screening programs, mental health "parity" and mental health care, as well as their levels of drug company funding. The psych industry's choice? Obama. more »
Q&A
These two readers each have pastors struggling with mental issues. One asks, "My pastor is on an antidepressant for his depression--what should I tell him?" The other asks, "My pastor uses his ADHD label to excuse his out-of-control behavior--what should I do?"See our answers here.
Letters
A reader calls this disorder "one of the #1 sacred cows in all of Christendom."more »
"Psychiatry is to medicine what astrology is to astronomy."
--Leonard Roy Frank
“I have been sorely grieved for years by those who claim to be "mentally ill" with bipolar and yet have no basis for believing they are ill, let alone taking dangerous personality-altering pharmaceuticals for it. What a scam, what a sad sad deception… To say that we need psychology to do what the Holy Spirit can't or won't is blasphemy, in my thinking.
--Reader Letter
"Since then, the life expectancy of people treated in community mental health centers has plunged to a point twenty-five years LESS than the average due to a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease as a side-effect of these drugs. (For comparison sake, being homeless cuts ten years off your life expectancy.) Chuck Areford said in a 2008 article titled “Antipsychotic Drugs are Doing Harm” that this “… must be ranked as one of the worst public health disasters in U.S. history.”"
Do you have a question relating to secular or "Christian" psychology, mental disorders/diseases, psychiatric medications, or biblical counseling? Ask us.
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The mission of this ministry is to inform mental sufferers and those from whom they seek help of the physical, mental and spiritual dangers of mental health disorders and treatments, and to encourage them to pursue a drug-free, psychology-free, Christ-centered life. Visitors to this web site taking psychotropic drugs who wish to discontinue use are strongly advised to consult a qualified physician for assistance and supervision before starting the discontinuation process. This ministry and web site provides information to help visitors make the most informed decisions about their mental health, and should not replace the advice of a medical doctor.
