<tc>Descriptions and Prescriptions (Descriptions et prescriptions)</tc>

As a biblical counselor and physician, Michael R. Emlet offers readers a Christ-centered approach to psychiatry and guides practitioners, both professional and lay, through the maze of mental health labels and treatments from a biblical perspective. In a clear and thoughtful way that puts the person facing mental health problems at the center of concern, the author shows how the Bible addresses the issue of psychiatric labels and the medications that are often recommended based on those labels. Descriptions and Prescriptions will give readers a biblical, gospel-based perspective to help them understand and minister to people with mental health issues.

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Author

Michael R. Emlet, MDiv, MD, was a family physician for more than a decade before becoming a counselor and faculty member of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). He is the author of the book Contact: Between the Bible and My Story, as well as several booklets such as OCD, The Angry Child, and Asperger's Syndrome.

Recommendations

"Mike Emlet has written a balanced and indispensable book. We often take extreme positions and unfortunately end up hurting those who are suffering. Approaching people in pain requires great humility, for Scripture is very clear: we who are made in the image of God do not even truly understand ourselves! I pray that this book will bear the fruit of humility and compassion among God's people."

- Diane Langberg, psychologist; author of Suffering and the Heart of God

"Mike Emlet has written a necessary book on psychiatric diagnosis from a biblical worldview. The paradigm that psychiatric labels are descriptive, but not prescriptive, is very important for biblical counselors and Christians in general. It is good to humbly admit that we need to move forward in our understanding of the biological issues that interact with spiritual struggles. Challenging the reductionist biological view of man is also a good thing. It is time for the biblical counseling movement to take a more rigorous, balanced, and holistic approach to caring for those who suffer most. This book goes a long way toward helping us make that shift. I highly recommend it."

- Garrett Higbee, executive director of biblical counseling, Harvest Bible Chapel; founding board member, Biblical Counseling Coalition; president, Soul Care Consulting

"In the midst of all the conflicting voices in our culture about psychiatric diagnoses and psychotropic medications, Dr. Michael Emlet offers a helpful gift to the church. In this little book, you will find a clear and nuanced discussion of the wisdom of using or not using psychiatric names and treatments. Recognizing the uniqueness of each situation, Dr. Emlet will help you make the best decision on a case-by-case basis by providing a framework that is not the same for every person. I am grateful for that."

- Elyse M. Fitzpatrick, author of Life is More Than Food

"Mike Emlet brings to the table a topic that most people couldn't possibly address, at least not without it causing indigestion. On a subject as difficult as psychiatric treatment, Mike Emlet is the best person to talk to, making clear distinctions when necessary and acknowledging the mystery when necessary. He is a man of his time with a heart captivated by the rich vision of human life found in the ancient scriptures. This book is now part of my curriculum."

- Jeremy Pierre, associate professor of biblical counseling, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author of The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life: Connecting Christ to Human Experience

"The intersection of ministry, mental health and medicine is the Bermuda Triangle of soul care. Dr. Emlet applies his unique multidisciplinary background - physician, pastor and biblical counselor - to cut through the mysteries, myths and misconceptions. Biblical wisdom is the compass for navigating these murky waters. Descriptions and Prescriptions builds on Scripture while rejoicing in God's gift of medical treatment and holistic pastoral care."

- Stephen P. Greggo, professor of counseling, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; co-editor of Counseling and Christianity: Five Approaches

"Here at last is help in resolving some of the tensions felt between the practice of psychiatric naming and biblical counseling. Counselors need tools to navigate the struggles of the human soul and brain without completely rejecting psychiatric labels or, on the contrary, wholeheartedly embracing all that is taught in modern psychiatry. Through this book, Mike Emlet once again offers us wise counsel from the Bible, using his medical experience to clarify the language of diagnosis and suggest the judicious use of medication."

- Rod Mays, former national coordinator, Reformed University Fellowship; assistant professor, Reformed Theological Seminary

"As a pastor and counselor, it is hard not to be overwhelmed by the complexity of mental health issues. Mike's book is like a new pair of glasses that brings clarity to these complex issues. Without giving all the answers, Mike offers insightful pointers to help readers navigate this rough sea. Whether you are a pastor, lay leader, parent, or concerned friend, this book will provide much-needed wisdom."

- Kurt Peters, pastor, St. Matthew's Anglican Church, Botany, Sydney; director, Biblical Counseling Australia

"Mike offers us a balanced and reliable guide to psychiatric diagnoses and medical therapies, all from a biblical perspective well-informed by experience and science. Practical, clear and insightful, this book will be useful to pastors and mental health professionals, as well as to people who suffer from any of the conditions described in the DSM-5. In my opinion, this is the best book published in recent years on this topic."

- Karl B. Hood, Lecturer in Pastoral Care, Presbyterian Theological College, Melbourne, Australia

"Armed with a medical background reinforced by some knowledge of Scripture, Mike Emlet leads us over the tightrope of psychiatric issues with an aplomb and grace not often seen when Christians address this topic. Both the mental health practitioner and the pastoral counselor will be pleased with this rigorous analysis that leads us all to rethink our categories and regain a gospel-centered view of these post-fall realities."

- John Applegate, executive director, Philadelphia Renewal Network; psychiatrist and director, John Applegate, MD & Associates, LLC

"I recommend this book. It will help pastors and mature believers in the church who wish to better understand the challenges of human psychological suffering from a Gospel-centered perspective. Drawing on his personal experience with those afflicted by mental health problems, Emlet moves us away from a reductionist approach to a holistic one that includes both the heart and the body. His book provides an excellent starting point for our ministry to those who are suffering.

- François Turcotte, president, Séminaire baptiste évangélique du Québec (SEMBEQ); elder, Plateau-Mont-Royal Baptist Church

"The relationship between the spheres of the medical and spiritual realms in pastoral care can be extremely tricky to manage, especially for pastors without medical training. That is why this clear and concise book by Mike Emlet is so important. Mike avoids the simple reductionism of approaches that deny any usefulness of psychiatric medications, while refusing to eliminate the spiritual component of many psychiatric disorders. He brings his medical expertise and Christian ministry experience to an area that will inevitably cross the path of many believers. This is a small book, but it is one that should be on the shelf of all those involved in pastoral care."

- Carl R. Trueman, author; pastor, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, Ambler, Pennsylvania

"Any book whose subtitle is "A Biblical Perspective on Psychiatric Diagnosis and Medication" is bound to be huge, complex, impractical, and highly controversial. Right? Well, no, not at all! Mike Emlet has succeeded in writing a short, accessible and extremely practical book on this vital subject. What's more, he has done it in such a sensible, balanced and biblical way that this book will promote peace and unity rather than debate and division. This book is a real help to those who help, and to those who need to be helped."

- David Murray, professor of Old Testament and practical theology, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary; pastor, Grand Rapids Free Reformed Church; author of Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture

"In Descriptions and Prescriptions, Michael R. Emlet makes technical information about the symptoms and treatments of psychiatric disorders accessible to the lay Christian. He presents these issues within the framework of a biblical anthropology and seeks to help Christians move beyond a generalized fear of psychiatric illness and treatment to the 'third way' that lies between exclusive spiritualization and over-medicalization of these illnesses."

- Kathryn Greene-McCreight, author of Darkness Is My Only Companion: A Christian Response to Mental Illness

"As a Christian, have you ever wondered what you should think about psychiatric diagnoses and treatments? Dr. Michael Emlet provides a thoughtful and balanced biblical approach to diagnosis and medication in this book. I plan to purchase several copies and distribute them to many of our members."

- Deepak Reju, pastor for biblical counseling and family ministry, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D. C.; author of The Pastor and Counseling and She's Got the Wrong Guy

"This book is vital for our time, as our culture increasingly seeks to describe problems in terms of psychiatric diagnoses and find solutions in psychoactive medications. We all need to think more carefully about the names we use and the medications we take. This book will become a reference book for Christians who want a balanced, biblical, and compassionate view of the descriptions psychiatrists use, as well as the prescriptions they make."

- Steve Midgley, Executive Director, Biblical Counseling UK

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Goldilocks Principle

Part 1: Understanding Psychiatric Diagnoses

1. Diagnosis is inevitable

2. How are psychiatric problems diagnosed?

3. How did we get here? A brief historical overview of psychiatric diagnosis

4. The problems and pitfalls of psychiatric diagnosis: descriptions, not explanations

5. The problems and pitfalls: abnormalizing normality

6. Problems and pitfalls: redefining behaviour

7. Problems and pitfalls: the influence of culture

8. Lessons for ministry

9. The value of psychiatric diagnoses in ministry

10. Conclusion: What is a name?

Part Two: Understanding Psychoactive Drugs

Introduction: What do you mean?

11. Classes of psychoactive medications

12. Do medications treat a "chemical imbalance"?

13. How effective are psychoactive medications?

14. Walking the tightrope of wisdom

15. Relieving and redeeming suffering

16. Obstacles to spiritual growth

17. Gifts or Gods?

18. Good and Bad Motivations

19. Drugs and the heart, for better or for worse

20. Synthesis

21. Wisdom in action

22. Revisiting the Goldilocks Principle

Acknowledgements

Details

Original title: Descriptions and Prescriptions

Author: Michael R. Emlet

Publisher : Impact

Publication date: May 2022

ISBN : 9782890825246

Pages : 142

Dimensions : 5,5" x 8,5"

Format : Paperback

Weight : 176 g