According to a report entitled, “The State of Mental Health in America –2017,” access to mental health care has increased, but so have mental health issues. Depression rates in youth continue to rise year after year. The report estimates that one in five U.S. citizens have some level of mental health condition. The study decries the lack of professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatric nurses) reporting that the least resourced state has an average of only one mental health professional per 1000 citizens. If we take that lowest rate of coverage against the U.S. population, that means there are at least 321,400 mental health professionals in the U.S. That outnumbers churches! It also outnumbers mental health professionals in every region of the world with the exclusion of Europe. With such abundant resources, why aren’t we in better mental shape?That’s a complex question with a multifaceted answer far beyond the scope of one Pastor’s Corner. I believe the decline in mental health is rooted in what we’re ignoring. Psychology, if traced to its Greek roots (psyche—logia), literally means a “study of the soul.” But today’s dictionary definition reduces the field to brains and behaviors …“the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.” Let me humbly suggest that society will continue to grow more unstable as long as we marginalize or ignore the soul. We are more than heads and chemicals. We are beings created by God for a relationship with him. Modern Psychology in it’s materialistic bent cannot have the ultimate answer. Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks as I unpack this passage that promises armor for our psyche,
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
