As many of you know, at PBF we offer biblical counseling, which seeks to address the issues of the heart using the principles of God’s Word. It is distinctive from psychological counseling in many ways, including its presuppositions, source of truth, methodology, and objectives.
As a result, we and other likeminded churches have very different views than a great majority of the counseling world. One area where this shows up is in the realm of “diagnosis.” Many in the church (and society-at-large) have been "diagnosed" as bi-polar, OCD, ACHD, depression, etc., and will regard these as tantamount to medical diagnoses similar to prostate cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes, or a hip fracture. These labels can result in something like an identity for people: “I am bi-polar.” “I am OCD.”
In reality, psychological disorders are not diseases per se, but subjective collections of behaviors, which some might refer to as “symptoms.” There is no objective evidence of an underlying cause of these behaviors/symptoms as there is with a medical disease.
Therefore, while most biblical counselors (myself included) affirm that real physiological factors often play a role in the issues we face, psychological diagnoses are not diagnoses in the same sense as medical ones. That is, they are subjective, not objective. They are not even indicative of a root issue. They are actually nothing more than the labeling of a set of behaviors.
Given the sufficiency of Scripture to address matters of life and godliness, it is better to identify the individual behaviors and the heart issues underlying them, refer to them using biblical language, and deal with them using gospel truth and principles of sanctification.
For a while, I’ve been considering writing an article here regarding the dangers of psychological diagnoses or “labels.” Perhaps that will come. However, I recently came across a related article addressing this issue of the subjectivity of psychological diagnoses. It is written by a biblical counselor, but significantly, it extensively quotes a prominent psychologist who makes this very point—“we should take mental health diagnoses with a grain of salt.”
One note that may be helpful before you read: The biblical counselor several times references “the DSM.” This is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It’s kind of like the Bible of psychology, defining the various disorders. It gets updated occasionally as the definitions and criteria for a given disorder change.
I highly encourage you to read the article. It will bolster your confidence in the Scriptures!
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