Religion
Related: About this forumMentally ill man attempts suicide after clinic replaces his meds with Bible study
This all happened 10 days after he stopped taking his medication, which was when he entered himself into the faith-based program, the Des Moines Register reports. He said he trusted his recovery to them and to God and he almost died from it.
The free discipleship program he checked himself into is run by two Assembly of God pastors who hope to heal their patients of addiction, anxiety, anger, depression and the emotional residue left by mental, physical and sexual abuse by using prayer, Scripture memorization and developing a closer relationship with God, according to programs promotional materials. The only requirement of the patients is that you cant use any mood altering drugs, prescribed or not. Assembly of God churches hold as a cardinal doctrine that the Divine will heal the sick, though they do allow medical help and using prescription drugs if necessary.
The program replaced his mood stabilizers with a dose of Bible study, amino acids and GABA supplements which they told him would reduce stress. Rev. Kevin Grimes, told him medicine alone wasnt going to be the answer to my problems, just a year before that. Grimes isnt a doctor nor has he ever received any training in pharmaceuticals or medicine.
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/mentally-ill-man-attempts-suicide-after-clinic-replaces-his-meds-with-bible-study/
I'm not sure one can tell who in this story needs professional mental health help more.
whatthehey
(3,660 posts)Surely they are all just ment.... oh. ermmm...
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)Iggo
(47,552 posts)cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)trotsky
(49,533 posts)We mustn't criticize someone's deeply-held religious beliefs, for that is religious bigotry. Or so I'm told.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)struggle4progress
(118,282 posts)cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)struggle4progress
(118,282 posts)Lee Rood
9:56 a.m. CDT May 9, 2016
SPENCER, Ia. Iowans with drug or alcohol problems are required by law to have access to sound medical treatment, evaluations by trained clinicians, individualized treatment plans, emergency services and treatment programs overseen by state regulators.
But since 1975, faith-based organizations that rely solely on prayer or other spiritual means for healing have been given a blanket exemption by the Iowa Legislature from licensing and standards aimed at providing safe, quality care ...
Dr. William Miller, an emeritus distinguished professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of New Mexico, says faith-based treatment programs may or may not deliver evidence-based treatment grounded in research. The efficacy of any drug treatment program, he said, depends on its content.
But he said, it is utterly unprofessional for a counselor
to advise someone to discontinue medications prescribed for a medical condition in the mistaken belief that sobriety requires it ...
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2016/05/08/faith-based-drug-treatment-iowa-goes-unregulated/83552564/