Mental health has become a major topic of conversation lately. It’s hard to watch any show or sports event without catching a commercial about mental health services. In fact, from 1997 to 2017, mental health and addiction ads saw the biggest jump among all direct-to-consumer health service ads. The spending went from $2 million to an incredible $162 million.1 Even nearly ten years later, this upward trend continues. According to Fortune Business Insights, the U.S. behavioral health market was valued at $87.82 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow even more, reaching $132.46 billion by 2032.2
So, why such a big investment? The reasons vary depending on different worldviews, but one thing is clear: we live in a real world where real people face real challenges. Thankfully, as believers in Christ wielding the Word of God, we have real answers and applications to help others navigate them (see Rom 15:14; 1 Thess 5:14).
One common challenge is non-suicidal self-injury, or self-harm. This can take many forms: cutting, hitting, excessive picking or scratching at the skin, pulling out hair, breaking bones, biting nails until they bleed, burning skin, substance abuse, extreme eating habits, and similar behaviors. Usually, those who engage in these actions feel alone (more on this later) and try to turn their emotional pain into something physical, which they believe is easier to manage. While it’s true that pain triggers the body’s natural painkillers, this relief doesn’t last long and can lead to serious consequences.
A self-injurer is likely all too familiar with this cycle:3
This diagram presents an upside-down understanding of Psalm 46:1-3: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Instead, during those painful moments, a self-injurer might feel: “I am my own refuge and strength in this time of trouble. My life is crumbling around me. I’m alone. I don’t want to feel this mental pain anymore. I must take control. I must do something to feel in control. I must do it now. I need relief now.” Regardless of how complicated the situation might seem, “all self-injury is an attempt to make life work without turning to God and trusting Him.”4
This is ultimately an issue of the heart. When thoughts and desires turn bitter, we may find ourselves drifting away from God's presence, chasing after false hopes of peace (see Jer 2:12-13). But remember, the cycle can be broken—God has all the power to bring change. His light continues to shine and overcome darkness (Jn 1:5). Instead of feeling stuck in a never-ending loop of guilt and unchanged situations, there is hope and a way forward.
Let’s not be naïve. When it comes to self-injury, there is a lot to untangle. But that’s no excuse for avoidance or procrastination. For some, the starting block is John 3. Some self-injurers feel alone because they are without a relationship with the source of life: Jesus Christ. This isn't a Christian cliché: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him (vv16-17). Come to the light, dear friend, if you remain in darkness (v21). Jesus stands ready to save you from every sin. He is the cycle breaker. He came to seek and save the lost (Lk 19:10). Repentance is the doorway to true freedom.
Many believers, however, have succumbed to the tactics of the world, the flesh, and the devil (see 1 Jn 2:15-17). You might find yourself in a similar situation. Remember, you are truly dead to sin and alive in Christ (Rom 6:11), but there is an ongoing struggle between the flesh and the Spirit (see Gal 5:16-17). The good news is, there's always a way out: No temptation is not common to man. God is faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure (1 Cor 10:13). If you're caught in a cycle of self-injury or caring for someone who is, let me offer a handful of applications that can help break the cycle. Again, there's a lot to untangle, but these steps forward will help you move from controlling stress to cultivating trust and delight in God.
Application #1: Understand that nothing is hidden from God.
Proverbs 15:3: The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
Psalm 139:7-12: Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
God’s omnipresence is liberating. The self-injurer makes limitless failed attempts to hide, but there is nowhere to go. Confess your failed attempts to control, your refusal to trust God, and bring this sin struggle to Him. You’ll be surprised that He is not waiting for your arrival with unencumbered wrath. Quite the opposite, actually: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matt 11:28-30). If you can’t escape God’s gracious presence, embrace it.
Application #2: Embrace God’s character.
Exodus 34:6b-7a: The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.
Psalm 145:17: The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.
Think about your situation, the pressure that motivates you to choose self-injury. Where is there a deficiency in viewing God rightly? Where have you been “tricked” into thinking that God is anything other than poised to pour out mercy and grace (Heb 4:16)? Refuse the enemy’s lies. They’ll only turn you toward impostors of relief.
Application #3: Call on God.
If you’re trapped in the self-injury cycle, you likely feel as though you don’t have the right words with which to address God. Let His words give expression to your pain. One of His kind works is to give us language to speak in relationship to Him. Psalm 6 is a fantastic place to start:
O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD—how long? Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give your praise? I am weary with moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.
The Lord is near to everyone who truthfully calls on Him (Ps 145:18). Don’t believe that? Consider a few of those who did:
Matthew 14:34-36 – ALL the sick in Gennesaret
Matthew 20:29-34 – Two blind men sitting by a roadside in Jericho
Luke 8:40-56 – A woman with an issue of blood and Jairus’s daughter
Luke 17:11-19 – Ten lepers near Jerusalem
Application #4: Push Against Isolation and Receive Help.
Remember the guilt and unchanged circumstances box from the self-injury diagram? There’s a lot to unpack with these two components, but God has provided others to help bear your burdens (Gal 6:2). In reading this entry, you have THIS link to sign up for Coffee with a Counselor, an informal space to share what’s going on in your life and think through a Christ-centered remedy. A wayward spirit will find loving admonishment, weakness will be met with true help, faintheartedness will run into encouragement, and patience will flood everything (see 1 Thess 5:14). One of the boldest steps you can take in dealing with self-injury is inviting a wise Christian into the chaos of your heart. It is God’s plan to offer help and hope through His people. Trust His character; trust His plan for change.
Back to advertising. Many celebrities—voices that sinners and sufferers follow—are open about their struggles with self-injury. Those who follow Christ will point to the resources available in Christ (see 2 Pt 1:3-4). Those who don’t stand for Christ can only offer worldly wisdom—shifts in behavior. There may be some help—some temporary relief—but guilt and circumstances won’t change without drawing near to Christ. Friend, God's ways are better (Ps 18:30). He's after your heart, and you need Him to be. Isn’t it time to break the cycle—for good?
James 4:7-8a: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Drawn near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Psalm 18:30: This God--his way is perfect, the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
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2. "U.S. Behavioral Health Market Size, Share and Industry," Fortune Business Insights, December 29, 2025, https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/u-s-behavioral-health-market-105298.
3. Edward T. Welch, "Self-Injury: When Pain Feels Good," The Journal of Biblical Counseling (Winter 2004): 33.
4. Welch, "Self-Injury: When Pain Feels Good," 33.
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