Mental illness is a controversial subject, but an important one, because it affects all of us, either directly or indirectly. At some point in our lives probably all of us will have occasion to have contact with mental illness, and, of course, any of us may occasionally experience some of the symptoms of it, even if we do not exhibit full-blown manifestations. During the past fifty years or so there have been many changes in the way mental illness is viewed, especially in the Western world. The proliferation of psychotropic drugs has made a vast difference in the treatment of serious mental disorders. These advances in treatment have brought the matter more and more into public focus and made people more willing to talk about the subject. In the modern world, there has definitely been a marked increase in the stresses and strains in our lives, and as a result such things as psychology, various types of counseling, self-help groups, and other forms of mental therapy have mushroomed. All of this raises questions in the minds of many believers. On the one hand, they find themselves, at least to some extent, victims of the same forces and the same disorders as are seen in the world at large, but on the other hand, they see themselves differently from unbelievers. Many are bewildered and confused, even frightened, by the tremendous number of options in treatment, and many fear (quite justifiably) that some of these treatments may not only be useless, but positively harmful.
Does God Himself, through His Word, offer us insight into and guidelines for this difficult subject? I believe that He does. He delights to be a light for our path.