Tag Archives: psychiatry

Suicide by doctor?

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Dr. G

Helping the mentally ill commit suicide was unthinkable not long ago. Today, it is a growing practice. Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Controversies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mitzi VanCleve…Help My Unbelief: “Religious OCD”

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Dr. G

John Bunyan in describing how this form of OCD impacted him said: “Of all the temptations that ever I met with in my life, to question the being of God, and the truth of His gospel, is the worst, and the worst to be borne; when this temptation comes, it takes away my girdle from me, and removeth the foundation from under me.” Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety Disorders, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

An Open Letter to Pastors, Biblical Counselors, Psychologists and Psychiatrists…Mitzi VanCleve

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Dr. G

Those of us who live with these disorders need to be ministered to from all of you. It shouldn’t be an either/or thing but rather a both/and thing. The last thing we need when we are experiencing the pain of our disorder is to be confused or made to feel guilty about where to go for help. Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety Disorders, Controversies, Key Ministry, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Are you less likely to be referred to a psychiatrist if your physician is a Christian?

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Dr. G

Historic tensions between religion and psychiatry continue to shape the care that patients receive for mental health concerns. Continue reading →

Posted in Controversies, Key Ministry, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The sins of psychiatry…and psychology

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Dr. G

“It seems reasonable to conclude that the institutions of psychiatry and psychology (and many practitioners of those disciplines) have conducted themselves in a manner to betray the trust of church leaders, especially those leaders who adhere to traditional interpretations of Scripture. I’d hypothesize that one manifestation of the collateral damage resulting from this “falling out” between the church and the mental health community is the lack of understanding in the church as to how to most effectively minister to individuals and families impacted by mental illness.” Continue reading →

Posted in Controversies, Key Ministry, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The struggles families face to find good mental health services…

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Dr. G

Our team at Key Ministry seeks to help ministry leaders better appreciate the challenges families face in finding the proper help for their kids with emotional or behavioral disorders and offer resources when parents turn to churches in search of help.
Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Families, Key Ministry, Mental Health, Resources | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Who’s qualified to prescribe medication for my child?

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Dr. G

If you’re open to considering psychotropic medication for your child or teen, you want an experienced clinician who will take the time to fully understand the nature of your child’s difficulties prior to whipping out the prescription pad. You want a clinician who appreciates the benefits and limitations of medication and is capable of recognizing situations when medication makes problems worse. You want a clinician with the time and availability to answer difficult questions when they arise. Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Families, Key Ministry, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ten Questions About Kids and Medication Lecture CANCELED. Here’s the alternate plan…

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Dr. G

Since there was lots of interest in the topic of frequently asked questions about kids and medication , I’ll cover each of the questions I’d planned to address during the lecture in a blog series we’ll run through July, following our current series on the changes in diagnostic criteria included in the DSM-5. Continue reading →

Posted in Controversies, Families, Key Ministry, Mental Health, Resources | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

First impressions of the DSM-5

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Dr. G

The weakness is its lack of validity. Unlike our definitions of ischemic heart disease, lymphoma, or AIDS, the DSM diagnoses are based on a consensus about clusters of clinical symptoms, not any objective laboratory measure. In the rest of medicine, this would be equivalent to creating diagnostic systems based on the nature of chest pain or the quality of fever. Indeed, symptom-based diagnosis, once common in other areas of medicine, has been largely replaced in the past half century as we have understood that symptoms alone rarely indicate the best choice of treatment. Continue reading →

Posted in Controversies, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is our system for treating persons with ADHD broken? Or is our society broken?

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Dr. G

Our current model of caring for people with mental health disorders is in a near state of collapse. Sadly, I have little hope of the situation getting better and fear things are going to get much worse. What I found unsettling about this story is how accurately it represents the service delivery system that kids and families enter into when they leave our practice. Continue reading →

Posted in ADHD, Advocacy, Controversies, Families | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments