‘I’ve got something deeper, something psychological going on…’ … ‘It’s my mental health that’s the issue…’.
Hearing such statements can lead us to think that a person’s struggle is beyond the reach of pastoral care. Discernment is needed, and referral to a qualified professional may be necessary, particularly with medical problems and struggles that involve risk. But are psychological problems outside the scope and understanding of Scripture itself?
Take the example of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) experienced by Tom. When we describe it as a psychological issue, it says a number of things. It can mean that Tom’s struggle is harder, more complicated than ordinary anxiety. It expresses that the struggle isn’t going away and that normal means of help – encouragement, prayer, the Bible, time – don’t seem to be working. We may also be saying that the problem is more life-dominating. For all these reasons it feels like a struggle that is sectioned off from Tom’s spiritual life and the pastoral care available.
