Mental health professionals diagnosed me with & treated me for a mental illness (OCD).

God's Word & Spirit diagnosed me with & treated me for fear of man & a preoccupation with avoiding pain.

I could be wrong, but I believe both diagnoses were correct and that they overlapped.

Learning about OCD gave me a clearer framework in which to apply repentance & belief in biblical truth. Could I have survived & even become healthy without the OCD diagnosis or the framework it gave me? I believe so. But I think it would have been harder and taken longer.

The info mental health professionals have gathered by studying scores of individuals like myself put me 1,000 steps ahead of someone like me who lived 500 years ago. My psycho-education enabled me to quickly understand the broken (& at times sinful) cycle thoughts & behaviors...

... and to interrupt the cycle at the right times with the right biblical truths (different truths are needed at different times in different ways).

I share this to say that I believe Christians *can* benefit from secular mental health education & treatment.

Do Christians need to be discerning as they seek mental health treatment? Yes. Much of what secular psychology has to say is antithetical to our faith. We should involve mature believers in our treatment process who can help us sort through what is good and what is hogwash.

We shouldn't elevate the power of mental health services & treatment over that of God's Word & Spirit. Our hope should cling to Christ our Rock, not psychology or medicine. These things can have a helpful & God-honoring place in our lives. But we need to keep them in their place.