Descriptions and Prescriptions: A Biblical Perspective on Psychiatric Diagnoses and Medications

“A reference book of great value for care givers, particularly those of us who are not medical professionals. Mike skilfully deals with a very complex issue and provides a balanced view of the advantages and limitations of descriptions and prescriptions as well as the important role of biblical counselling in the overall healing process. A must read for secular and biblical counselors alike.”

“Michael Emlet has nailed it! Finally, we have a medically informed and biblically wise approach regarding what we really know and dont know about psychiatric diagnoses and medications. We need this holistic aim in ministering to spiritual, emotional, and biological care for those who are suffering. This book is both fascinating and succinct and I will be recommending it often.”

“Because our culture increasingly describes problems in terms of psychiatric diagnoses and increasingly seeks solutions through psychoactive medications, this is a vital book for our times. We all need to think more carefully about the labels we are using and the drugs we are taking. This will become a go-to book for Christians wanting a balanced, biblical, and compassionate view of the descriptions and prescriptions that psychiatrists use.”

“As a Christian, have you ever wondered how to think about psychiatric labels and medications? Dr. Michael Emlet has provided a thoughtful, balanced, biblical approach to diagnoses and medications in this book. Im planning to buy copies and give this out to many of our members.”

“In Descriptions and Prescriptions: A Biblical Perspective on Psychiatric Diagnoses and Medications, Michael R. Emlet makes accessible for the lay Christian otherwise technical information about the symptoms and treatments of psychiatric disorders. He presents these issues within a biblical anthropology and seeks to help move Christians beyond a generalized fear of psychiatric illnesses and treatments to a third way between solely spiritualizing or over-medicalizing these illnesses.”

“Any book that has A Biblical Perspective on Psychiatric Diagnoses and Medications in its subtitle is going to be huge, complex, impractical, and highly controversial. Right? Wrong! Mike Emlet has managed to write a short, accessible, and immensely practical book on this vital subject. And hes done it in such a sensible, balanced, and biblical way that the book will promote peace and unity rather than debate and division. Here is help for the helpers and for the helpless.”

“I recommend this book to help pastors and mature believers in the church who want to better understand the challenges of human psychological suffering from a gospel-centered perspective. Drawing on his personal experience with those who are afflicted by problems of mental health, Emlet leads us away from a reductionist approach to one that is holistic and includes both heart and body. His work gives us an excellent start in ministering to those who suffer.”

“With a physicians training harnessed by Scripture, Mike Emlet leads us along the tightrope of psychiatric considerations with both a poise and grace not often seen when Christians approach this topic. Both the mental health practitioner and the pastoral counselor should be pleased with this robust analysis that challenges us all to rethink our categories in favor of a gospel-centered accounting of these post-fall realities.”

“Mike has given us a balanced and reliable guide to psychiatric diagnoses and medical therapies from a biblical perspective that is well-informed by experience and science. Practical, clear, and perceptive, it will be helpful to pastors and mental health professionals, as well as those who suffer in the ways described in the DSM-5. In my opinion, this is the best book in its area for years.”

“As a pastor and counselor, it is hard not to be overwhelmed by the complexity of mental health struggles. Mikes book is like a new set of glasses, bringing clarity to these complex issues. Without giving all the answers, Mike lays out perceptive pointers to help readers navigate difficult terrain. Whether you are a pastor, lay leader, parent, or a concerned friend, this book will provide you much needed wisdom.”

“Finally, help in resolving some of the tension felt between the practice of psychiatric labeling and biblical counseling. Counselors have needed direction on navigating the struggles of the human brain and soul, while neither dismissing labeling completely nor fully embracing hook, line, and sinker, everything taught in modern psychiatry. Mike Emlet has again given us wise counsel from the Bible, utilizing his medical background to clarify the language of labeling and the wise use of medication.”

“The intersection of ministry, mental health, and medicine is the Bermuda Triangle of soul care. Dr. Emlet applies his unique multidisciplinary trainingphysician, pastor, and, biblical counselorto cut through mystery, myth, and, misconception. Biblical wisdom is the compass to navigate these troubled waters. Descriptions & Prescriptions leans into Scripture as it rejoices in appreciation for Gods gift of medical treatment and holistic pastoral care.”

“Mike Emlet brings up a topic at the dinner table that most people couldntat least not without causing indigestion. You will find Emlet the best kind of conversationalist on a difficult topic like psychiatric medications, making istinctions clear when needed and acknowledging mystery when needed. He is a man of his time with a heart captured by the rich vision of human life found in ancient Scripture. This book is instantly in my curriculum.”

“In the midst of all the conflicting voices in our culture about psychiatric diagnoses and psychotropic medications, Dr. Michael Emlet has provided a helpful gift to the church. In this short book, youll find a clear and nuanced discussion of the wisdom of using or not using psychiatric descriptions and medications. Recognizing the uniqueness of each situation, Dr. Emlet will assist you in making the best decision for each case by furnishing a framework that isnt the same with every person. Im thankful for it.”

“Mike Emlet has written a much-needed book on psychiatric diagnosis from a biblical worldview. The paradigm of psychiatric labels being descriptive but not prescriptive is very important for biblical counselors and Christians in general. Humbly admitting we have to grow in our understanding of biological issues that interplay with spiritual struggles is right. Challenging a reductionist biological view of man is also right. It is time for the biblical counseling movement to adopt a more robust, balanced, and holistic approach to caring for those who suffer most. This book goes a long way to help us turn the corner. I highly recommend it.”

“Mike Emlet has written a balanced and much-needed book. We often fall into extreme positions and sadly end up doing damage to those who are suffering. Approaching those who suffer requires great humility, for Scripture is quite clear that we who are made in the image of God do not really even understand ourselves! I pray this book will bear the fruit of humility and compassion in Gods people.”

“In brief, clear chapters with helpful illustrations and real life vignettes, Mike Emlet has written an excellent and very practical book. He walks a careful middle road between accepting the current cultural diagnosis and treatment system and dismissing the latter as unbiblical and false. He sees value in diagnosis and medication but always in the context of dealing with whole persons.”

“A remarkable achievement. Dr. Mike Emlets introduction to psychiatric diagnoses and medication is brief but comprehensive, accessible yet authoritative. It confronts hard and complex questions with wisdom and balance. . . . I recommend it without hesitation.”

“Wisdom is the ability to take complex human experiences and untangle the knots. The painful human struggles that are given psychiatric labels and psychoactive medications perplex us all. Mike Emlet untangles knots. He offers a lucid and humble understanding that will make you think. He commends practical and gracious ways forward that will help you care.”

“I have found nowhere in all my training or reading a more helpful tool for me as a pastor to understand the complexities of psychiatric diagnoses and medicinal prescriptive practices from a Scriptural perspective.”