The Christian worldview is a distinctive perspective of the world, with its own idea of values and misconducts. Despite Christianity being a faith of many people, it is not always considered related or significant to psychopathology. As a person closely familiar with the Christian faith myself, I have experienced the influence of religion on one’s mental health. Yarhouse et. al. provide a thorough understanding of the psychopathology’s foundations and the role of Christianity in treating mental illness. From this reading, I have learned a valuable lesson about the importance of community and the effectiveness of the combination of faith and reason for better interpretation of psychological disorders’ causes, treatment, and prevention.
When the church is mentioned in relation to mental illness, some people may disregard its importance. Indeed, the Christian faith has a long history of demonizing and marginalizing people suffering from such disorders (Yarhouse et al., 2016). However, religion can be considered a predecessor of the psychopathology of Western culture. It first began to seek the ways of healing the soul and ridding people of sin and evil. Throughout centuries, Christian values have guided people to the path of God and goodness in their own way, serving as a shepherd to those who struggle. Additionally, unlike historical pastoral care, contemporary church counselors often integrate the advances of psychopathology in their practice, striving to heal their parishioners (Yarhouse et al., 2016). As such, I believe the Christian faith cannot be disregarded in treating mental illness since it first began to comprehend people’s psychological struggles and ways of providing care.
Nowadays, the way church and health professionals treat mental disorders can be considered primarily different, yet both practices can yield significant results. The work of a clinic professional is usually focused on the individual help, equipped with educated objective rationale and reason. However, social ties and support are believed to be the most powerful tool in healing trauma (Yarhouse et al., 2016), which is something that an individual therapy session cannot provide. Such an approach is greatly emphasized in a church community functioning. Based on my experience, it offers an optimistic view of the world, open dialogue, and a strong social support network that teaches to appreciate life and cope with difficulties. The effectiveness of such interventions can be observed throughout the world, especially in indigenous communities with no access to traditional Western mental health (Yarhouse et al., 2016). This practice should not be considered to substitute therapy fully, and vice versa; mental health professionals cannot offer the support of a community. Instead, I am convinced that both religious and professional fields should combine their practices for the benefit of effective treatment of mental disorders.
The knowledge of the causes of mental illness differs depending on whether it is viewed from the Christian or psychopathological perspective. Most contemporary classification of psychopathology either lacks a methodological foundation on the reasons for disorders or considers such etiology unavailing (Yarhouse et al., 2016). In Christianity, the cause of the mental suffering of a person comes from a sinful choice or behavior. Thus, guided by such interpretation, the pastoral care approach heals souls by eradicating evil and redeeming sinful actions (Yarhouse et al., 2016). In my experience, not all mental health issues can be defined as caused by sin, yet this view has survived for generations of church teachings and can be applied to some individuals. This so-called spiritual health is not considered relevant by modern health professionals, yet it is a vital part of some people’s lifestyles and can greatly facilitate recovery. I believe the collected knowledge of the classification of mental disorders should be shared across both psychopathology experts and church practitioners in order to be able to provide better treatment to the mentally ill.
Despite the long history of religious practice of healing the soul, the psychological model allowed much more progress towards actual treatment to be made. Compared to religious studies, the modern theory of mental illness began its existence relatively recently. However, in the short time of a century, psychopathology achieved success by combining pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions, limiting theoretical assumptions and biases in clinical practice (Yarhouse et al., 2016). In Christianity, the healing process does not require the help of medicine and is considered to begin from within the soul. In such a way, religion offers the opportunity to learn to cope; it is also an important resource of hope for many (Yarhouse et al., 2016). I believe that through this ideology, the Christians are more likely to recover due to the strive to better themselves and follow Christian values. The psychopathology’s contemporary techniques and treatment models can be inefficient if the patient lacks the motivation. As such, if religious and clinical fields were to combine their knowledge and practices towards ensuring adequate care, then the struggling individuals would be provided with both motivation and medicine.
Mental illness prevention is a painful subject for both psychopathology and the church. Nowadays, it is difficult to say that mental disorders have not affected one’s life. Whether it is a personal issue or a struggle of a family member or friend, almost everyone has to deal with it in one way or the other. According to Yarhouse et al. (2016), in the U.S., billions of dollars are spent on mental health care every year. Despite that, a small percentage of people seek professional help. In the Christian church, some mental health issues can be prevented with the use of community and guidance, a positive mindset, and social ties (Yarhouse et al., 2016). However, it is also known to oppress some individuals and further hurt them. In my experience, mental disorders are not often prevented but treated after the fact instead. Although, I believe that prevention is possible and should be promoted more through religion and clinical practice. Psychopathology professionals should spread awareness and draw societal attention to mental issues prevention. The Christian church should implement a wider range of methods to recognize and prevent the possible stressors within the community.
The authors of Modern psychopathologies: A comprehensive Christian appraisal teach a valuable lesson on the significance of psychopathology and Christianity combining forces to treat and prevent mental illness effectively. The experience of dealing with mental issues and belief in the values of the Christian faith played an important role in my understanding of the reading. I think that recognizing the knowledge collected by both clinical and religious practice, as well as specific techniques and communal socialization, would lead to better recognition and care for the mentally ill. In the future, I would like to learn how to address psychopathologies by incorporating faith and reason effectively.
Reference
Yarhouse, M. A., Butman, R. E., & McRay, B. W. (2016). Modern psychopathologies: A comprehensive Christian appraisal. Inter Varsity Press.