Did you know that the number of people in the US that were diagnosed with a mental illness jumped from 600,000 (.003% of the population) in 1955 to 50 million (almost 20% of the population) in 2022. Two significant influencers for the dramatic increase have been the creation of the community mental health system and the development of psychoactive medications. Both have grown prolifically since the early 1950s. Is 20% of the population in this country truly mentally ill? Have we begun diagnosing the normal pain and suffering of life as a mental illness?
In this podcast, Jamie talks to Brock Lutz, a mental health therapist who is currently the director of health services at Hillsdale College. With a combined 65 years of experience in the field, Jamie and Brock do not deny the reality of mental illness. But could it be that the current mental health system not only fails to help people recover but often actively prevents recovery for those seeking help with life’s struggles?
While emphasizing the true healing power of Christ and community, they suggest that pain and loss are often an opportunity for spiritual, emotional, and mental growth. They point to overdiagnosis, overprescribing of psychoactive medications, the control of insurance companies, and the permanence of diagnostic labeling as problematic and often destructive. Jamie and Brock believe in personal responsibility for individual behavior and the essential nature of a relationship with God and a caring community in leading a normal and healthy personal and relational life.
